The Four
by CritterKid
Summary: AU. Everything is coming together. That means it's time for an apocalypse.
1. Chapter 1

AN: This is the second story in my AU verse. It is set directly after Choices. While it's not essential to read Choices, one of the main reasons I wrote that was to set up this tangent. I would highly recommend you read it. This one does go a little dark, though it's mostly implied. This story is finished. I will post one chapter a day until it is complete. Reviews and Constructive Criticism are greatly appreciated. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Everything is owned by the very talented Joss Whedon. I'm just taking his toys out and playing with them. I promise to put them back, relatively unscathed. Also I don't consider this a crossover, but I do think Angel and his group, and Buffy and her group would help each other out whenever they were needed. Enough talking. I hope you enjoy reading.

Warnings: Violence, language, adult situations but nothing to graphic. Also the aftereffect of torture and drug use, but again nothing overly graphic. AN: I am in no way an expert or even semi-knowledgeable in medical or psychological fields. Everything medical I'm writing about I either made up or learned from watching ER. Take everything with a grain of salt.

* * *

"I thought you were beyond pizza delivery guy," Willow joked as Xander entered the small house carrying several square boxes.

"Can a man every really stop that most important job of caring and feeding his family?" he joked as he lay the boxes down on the overstuffed table.

"Xander!" Anya admonished as she grabbed the papers Xander was about to put the pizza on before turning back to her conversation with Giles. Xander frowned, looking around the room.

"Joyce isn't back yet?" he asked, looking for their adopted mother.

"It was a dinner meeting," Tara reminded him, looking up from the textbook she was reading. "What's the worst that can happen?" Everyone groaned at that simple statement.

"Tara," Willow admonished her girlfriend. "We never say that around here. That's like inviting bad stuff to happen." Tara immediately looked panicked.

"But, but it usually takes longer than this to get the next apocalypse right?" she asked, nervously looking around. Giles sighed and went back to the paperwork he and Anya were working through. Everyone grabbed some pizza and ate quietly as they thought of the last few weeks.

They had defeated the insane Hellgod Glory, but the cost had been high. Thankfully no one had died, despite several close calls from the Summers women, but everything they owned was destroyed. After the battle, and once they were sure Joyce wasn't going to die from her brain aneurysm, the reality of their situation finally hit them. The main Scoobies indulged in a bit of denial, ignoring their situation and simply focusing on being alive for the moment.

Two weeks later Joyce was released from the hospital, after double and triple checking her health, and reality couldn't be ignored any longer. They returned to Sunnydale and found the normally ignorant town in a still in a state of shock. The destruction was just so overwhelming. Joyce and Dawn were astounded by the damage Glory had managed to cause. Even the Scoobies, who had a front row seat for most of the destruction, were shocked by the extent of carnage the Hellgod ordered. Fortunately for the young adults they did still have parental figures looking out for them.

With help from the Council, Giles was able to rent a small five bedroom house for them to share once they returned to Sunnydale until more final arrangements could be made. It was a tight fit for all of them, but to everyone's surprise they didn't find it all that uncomfortable. They had all started looking for their own place, nobody having much luck, when Giles sarcastically commented that they couldn't stay together in the small house forever. They all looked at each other sheepishly when they realized that was exactly what they were doing. They were a family after all and not quite ready to split up yet.

That's when Willow got an idea for communal housing, like the dorms, which Giles quickly countered with an idea for an extremely exclusive gated community. That idea quickly took hold and the group spent the next few days debating and refining the concept. They decided to pool resources and see if they could get a community working.

One big problem with that thought was the finances. Xander was the only one who still had a steady job. Joyce and Giles both had their businesses destroyed, and while they had insurance money, it would be a while before either one was back up and running. Joyce had her house insurance money, and Giles had his apartment insured, but the money wouldn't last long.

To everyone's surprise the Council once again stepped up to the plate. They agreed to fund this social experiment, and help get both businesses up and running until everyone was back on their feet. Buffy was immediately on guard, her experiences with the Council telling her they must want something in return. Giles was equally weary, but a few phone calls later he was reassuring everyone that it was a genuine offer with no strings.

The group might not trust the Council, but they did trust Giles and quickly looked for a space that would serve their needs. They needed a large open space that they could build up however they wanted. It needed to be close enough to guard the Hellmouth, but they also wanted it isolated so they wouldn't endanger any neighbors. It was Anya who suggested the clearing the Knights had been using. A few days later the clearing was theirs. Now the group simply were trying to figure out how to build it.

They decided on a large central house, which would be the Summers residence, with smaller individual houses built surrounding it. Everyone agreed and now they were drawing up plans for the main house, everyone pitching in ideas as the house was slowly taking shape. Joyce let this happen. The house might officially be hers, but she knew it would soon evolve into Scooby Central.

The housing situation was not the only changes the group had going though. Both The Magic Box and The Gallery were destroyed, unfortunately taking most of the buildings with them. The owners of each building decided the best option was to sell. Joyce and Giles recognized the opportunity and took it. They pooled resources and soon found themselves co-owners of the larger building, which housed The Magic Box. They decided to tear it down completely and start from scratch, splitting the building evenly for both stores. Everyone was okay with this. The Magic Box got a little more space while The Gallery had much more room. Joyce was especially happy about that. The Gallery was so popular it had outgrown its old location and desperately needed the extra space

They gave the construction jobs to the company Xander worked for, and he was promoted to foreman, directly supervising both The Magic Box/The Gallery commercial site and the strange new housing development. Here again the Council came through for them, cutting through the red tape needed for building permits like it was nothing so what would normally take months they were able to complete in days and weeks. They had already started tearing down The Magic Box/ The Gallery building and once the plans were finalized they were ready to start preparing the foundations and ground work for the homes. After weeks of uncertainty everything was starting to come together again.

"What are you thinking Xan?" Willow asked, breaking through his thoughts. He shook his head and refocused his thoughts. He noticed he had eaten his pizza without realizing it.

"I was thinking of adding a second floor," he told the group.

"Why would we need a second floor?" Giles asked. They were already planning a full basement for the large house. They already had enough space for everything they needed. The majority of the main floor would be common areas; kitchen, dining room, front room, bathroom, with a small office for Joyce. The rest of the house was divided up into bedrooms, the master bedroom for Joyce and smaller ones for Buffy and Dawn. The main floor looked completely normal. The basement was another matter.

The basement had the normal areas, like the laundry room and the storage room, but there were some areas that were more unusual, like Buffy's training room and a room set aside for the witches. Then there were a few things they would never be able to explain, like a small spare room with absolutely no windows and a holding cell complete with an impossible to escape cage.

"I was thinking of moving all the bedrooms upstairs," Xander explained.

"That will be the biggest bedroom I've ever had," Dawn said, not looking up from the report she was writing but obviously paying attention to the conversation around her. Xander shook his head.

"Not just the three," he admitted. "I was thinking of adding rooms on the second floor for all of us, maybe even a couple extra."

"So we're back to the dorm idea?" Willow asked.

"I'm going to veto that idea," Giles said, but Xander held up his hands.

"Hold on. Just hear me out. I'm not giving up the idea of our own places, but whenever we get a Big Bad and go into research and survival mode, we all tend to group together. I'm just thinking it would be nice to actually have a room with a bed when that time comes, instead of falling asleep at the research table like we normally do. Plus, since were building that house first, it will give us all a place to stay while our own homes are being built."

"That does kinda make sense," Tara agreed.

"What makes sense?" Joyce asked as she entered the room.

"Adding a second floor with bedrooms for everybody," Giles answered. "What would you do with the space earmarked for bedrooms now?"

"I was thinking a library for you," Xander said. Giles face immediately brightened. "Get some space for a homework/study/research area. Maybe throw a couple of computers in there. Whether we're researching the latest apocalypse or just finishing a history paper on the Great Wall of China. Everything we'd ever need will be at our fingertips."

"That actually sounds good," Willow admitted. Dawn looked excited at the prospect, and Joyce frowned but didn't say anything. Their time in L.A. had been good for the mother and daughter. Joyce knew Dawn wanted to help out more with the Slaying and Dawn knew her mother wanted to keep her away from it. They eventually agreed to disagree on this point, but managed to compromise with Dawn's level of involvement. Joyce would allow Dawn to help research once all her chores and homework was done as long as she kept up good grades. Dawn readily agreed to this and the only thing they couldn't agree on was what constituted good grades. Joyce of course wanted A's, while Dawn thought C's should suffice. In the end they compromised again with B's.

"Then I was thinking we could turn one of the rooms into a small hospital room," Xander finished. "You know, where we can get patched up without all that pesky paperwork they always make us fill out."

"I don't think we'll be able to forego the use of hospitals Xander," Joyce told him. "I'm living proof of that."

"Not for the big stuff," he agreed, "but the little self service jobs that we've all come to know and hate."

"Like a first aid tent," Willow piped up. Giles shared a look with Joyce. It was ultimately her decision. She shrugged.

"It doesn't hurt to see what they can come up with," she said. Xander beamed.

"Great. I'll talk to Wayne in the morning." Wayne was the architect the construction company worked with. He was designing both the businesses and the homes. Xander was working closely with him, both because he knew what they needed and he found the designing part of construction as interesting as the building part.

Joyce smiled at his enthusiasm. He was really getting into the construction business and he was really good at it too. She thought he might have finally found his niche in life and was very happy for him.

"So how was your date?" Dawn asked as she finished her paper and joined them at the table. She absently reached for another slice of pizza even though she already had two and wasn't really hungry.

"It was not a date Dawn," Joyce rolled her eyes. "We were having a business meeting."

"With dinner," Dawn added. "Sounds like a date to me."

"It was purely professional," Joyce told them, knowing it wouldn't make any difference, at least not for her daughters. Brian was the publicist for The Gallery and very excited about the Grand Reopening of the new and improved Gallery. This was their second dinner meeting, where they were trying to figure out how they wanted this Grand Reopening to go, but all her daughters could see was she was going out with a nice looking man. She was upfront with him about her intentions, not really interested in anything romantic at the moment, but she was still constantly teased by her girls. "Is Buffy not back yet?" she asked, trying to change the subject. "Don't you girls have your literature finals tomorrow?"

"We've been studying," Willow protested, pointing to the books spread over the side table as proof. With the carnage at both the High School and the college, the carefully regimented curriculums where thrown into chaos. The girls were able to take full advantage of the chaos, integrating themselves back into their classes without much trouble even though they missed several classes. Even Dawn was able to get back into her school without too much trouble from the principal. Apparently she had other things to worry about than a fourteen year old girl acting out because her mother was sick. But like everything else in this town, everything was starting to get back to normal.

"She said she needed to do a quick patrol," Tara continued, "so we decided to take a break."

"A quick patrol huh," Joyce said sarcastically just as Buffy came in the door. "How was your patrol honey? Did you have much opportunity to slay down by the restaurant?" Buffy's shoulders slumped as she hung up her coat. She didn't mean for her mother to see her spying on her date, but since Glory she seemed to have an innate knowledge of where everybody was at all times.

"I have serious doubts about that bus boy," Buffy told her, rejoining her friends at the table. Joyce sighed.

"You were spying on me?" she asked, torn between amusement and annoyance.

"No," Buffy quickly disagreed. "I was patrolling." Joyce raised an eyebrow and Buffy sighed. "I was just patrolling near the restaurant."

"Right," she said, just as the door opened again and Spike entered.

"You made it home alright then?" he asked, looking Joyce up and down to make sure she was fine. She rolled her eyes.

"I take it you weren't spying on me either?" she asked the vampire.

"Hell yeah I was," he told her. "I heard what happened with that last bloke you dated. A bleedin robot with homicidal tendencies. You think I'm gonna let you go out with just anybody? At least let me scare some respect into him."

"For the last time," Joyce said, starting to get a little angry now, "it wasn't a date. It was a business meeting. And it has been a long day and I am going to bed." She didn't quite storm out of the room, but it was close. Dawn looked to her sister.

"Maybe we should lay off a bit?" she asked, unsure if that was what she really wanted but not wanting to hurt their mother. Buffy agreed and the girls went back to studying. After the recent scare, nobody was willing to upset Joyce.

The weeks passed quickly. The college girls took their final exams while Dawn and her classmates were finally getting back to a routine. It had taken some time to arrange a location for the temporary school and they found their summer vacation was going to be about three weeks shorter than normal, but Dawn was just happy to be getting a summer vacation at all. Xander's crew had The Magic Box and The Gallery nearly complete. Giles still had a training room for Buffy, but they decided to put the study table in The Gallery on the premise it would be much quieter. They also decided to join the shops in the backroom and leave a small portion of the dividing wall open so the Scoobies could move from shop to shop as needed.

Xander's crew had also been busy at the homestead. They had hooked the clearing up to the city's sewer and water lines, got the power and gas feeds going, had dug out the basement, and were just about to lay the foundation for the largest house. Xander and Wayne had drawn up new plans, with everybody getting a room on the second floor, which actually worked out pretty well. They even had a few guest rooms for the occasional visitor. Once the foundation had set, they would begin work on the main house in earnest, hopefully having it complete within a month.

Everyone was looking forward to decorating their room, the girls constantly looking through the various magazines for ideas. Anya was especially excited about this. This was the first time she would be able to decorate from scratch. She was using this as a test run to see how her decision making skills would play out before she started planning her wedding. Xander and Anya both decided to wait a bit before setting a date, letting everyone get their feet back underneath them before subjecting everyone to the chaos of a wedding.

Another month passed in peace. The stores were finished and getting ready for their grand re-opening. The house was nearly ready, just one or two more things before the group could start painting and decorating. Dawn had finally started her summer vacation, and for once it seemed that the vampire population was content to stay low. Buffy had been patrolling every night, of course, but she was getting back in the habit of letting others come with her. Usually it was just one or two of the Scoobies, with Spike trailing discretely behind. This night, though, her mother decided she wanted some quality patrolling time with her daughter.

"So what do you think of Brian?" Joyce asked casually as they strolled through one of the many cemeteries. Buffy looked over at her amusedly.

"Is this the same 'it's only business with my publicist' Brian?" she asked slyly.

"He's starting to grow on me," she admitted with a little contented sigh. "He was such a gentleman. He knew I wasn't interested in anything romantic so he never pushed. It's just, now I think maybe I am ready for something a little romantic."

"I like him mom," Buffy told her. He had met all the Scoobies when they were helping set up the two stores. He had made a good impression with everybody, including Anya and Dawn which was pretty hard to do. "Plus he's not a killer robot."

"There is that," she agreed. The walked in silence. "So it would be okay with you if he asked me out on a date and I accepted?"

"You mean like the dates that you haven't been going on these last couple of months?" Buffy asked wryly.

"Buffy," Joyce scoffed, before something behind her caught her eye. "Buffy!" Joyce warned. She turned, immediately ready for action, when something caught her across the head. She went down hard, dazed, as the world erupted into chaos around her.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1.

Enjoy!

* * *

"Hey Lockley," one of the older detectives greeted Kate as she walked into her former police precinct. She gave the older man a smile as he walked over. "What brings you to our neck of the woods?"

"I'm helping Anne out. Heard you have a couple of her kids." She was still trying to find her way after being let go from the police force, but found helping the shelter was one of the few things that felt right. "What are they in for?" The detective shrugged.

"Fighting," he said as he pulled the forms she would need to fill out to get them released. "We don't think they were the ones fighting, more like the ones getting the shit kicked out of them, but they won't point any fingers and until they do there's nothing we can do about it." She nodded. The kids at Anne's shelter were extremely untrusting of the police, and with good reason. It was one of the worst parts of town. The only time the cops went down there was to bust them for something, never to help them. It was one of the walls she was trying to tear down.

"I doubt they'll talk to me," she said, handing the finished paperwork back to her friend, "but if they do I'll pass it along."

"You do that," he said, hesitating for a second. Alarm bells immediately started ringing in her head.

"There something else on your mind?" she asked. He looked around before motioning her into one of the private offices, closing the door behind them.

"There's rumors that one of the cons we picked up was getting out of jail, and not in the parole or time served way."

"Cons are always trash talking like that," she reminded him. "You know that." He shook his head.

"Not like this they aren't. The rumor is this is involving some serious political string pulling between the State Department and the British Government. The Chief doesn't even get a say, just a memo telling him to set a murderer free."

"Who?" Kate asked, her cop senses tingling. Something big was happening.

"Lehane," he told her, but he just confirmed the name she knew it was going to be. He looked out the window. "Your kids are here," he said, opening the door for her and leading her back into the hustle of the precinct.

"Thanks," she said as she motioned for the kids to follow her. "And thanks." He shrugged.

"You might not be a cop anymore on paper, but you'll always be part of this family." Kate smiled as she led the kids to her car. The ride back to the shelter was silent. Normally she would be talking to the kids, trying to understand what happened or trying to get them to open up, but tonight she had too much on her mind. She dropped the kids off, waiting just long enough for them to open the door to the shelter, before she was off again.

"What the Hell is going on?" she demanded as she bowled through the front doors of the Hyperion Hotel.

"Kate," Angel greeted her as he looked up from the sword he was polishing. Someone new had joined the mix and Angel quickly introduced them. "Kate, this is Fred. Fred, Kate."

"Hello," a timid voice said from behind the vampire. Kate could see just the smallest sliver of an eye looking toward her.

"We rescued Fred from a demon dimension," he explained. "She's still adjusting."

"Oh," she shook her head, trying to get back to why she was here. "What's going on?" Angel looked down at his weapons.

"Cordelia had a vision of a Fyarl demon busting up a nightclub. We're gonna go stop it before it can get a foot in the door."

"You ready to roll?" Gunn said, entering the room with his homemade scythe. "Hey Kate."

"Gunn," she greeted, "and that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about Lehane." Angel suddenly got real quiet.

"Perhaps I can explain," Wesley said, coming in from the back office. "Since I am to be here waiting for phone calls, I apparently have the time you do not." Angel nodded.

"Wes can explain and I can help when I get back." She nodded and turned to the young Brit as the other two guys raced out the door. Wesley motioned her toward the office, Fred blending in behind them.

"Can I get you anything to drink? We have a lengthy process before us."

"Coffee please," Kate said, sitting down in one of the client chairs. Wesley quickly prepared the drinks before sitting down on the other side of the desk.

"I must apologize in advance if we are interrupted. As you heard I am expecting a phone call and must take it when it comes."

"Does this phone call have anything to do with Lehane?" Wesley looked at her appraisingly.

"You know what Angel is," Wesley steepled his fingers and examined the former cop. It wasn't a question but Kate nodded anyway. "How much do you know about his world?"

"I was never able to bring myself past the point where demons where real," she admitted. Wesley nodded.

"Demons have been around since before the rise of man, but humanity also had a champion to protect them from the demons. One girl, born with the strength and skill to hunt the demons and protect humanity. A Slayer. Throughout the ages whenever one Slayer dies another one is called. This tradition continued until a few years ago. Faith is a Slayer."

"A Slayer?" Kate parroted. "Like a supernatural being like Angel?"

"Angel is a vampire," Wesley corrected, "and one of the most feared vampires for over two hundred years. Never forget this. If he loses his soul again he becomes this monster instantly and will kill you, probably slowly and painfully."

"And Faith?" Kate asked.

"Slayers are human girls who, upon being Chosen, are endowed with superhuman strength and speed, among other abilities."

"So if Faith is one of these Slayers," Kate thought out loud, "why is she in jail? How can a jail even hold her?" Wesley sighed.

"Faith was dealt a bad hand in life before being Called, and after she was Called her situation didn't improve much. She made some bad decisions and was trying to run from the consequences until Angel was able to get through to her. She wants redemption, which begins with admitting her past mistakes and trying to make them right. She is in jail simply because she wants to be."

"So if she's so important, why has she been allowed to sit in a jail cell all this time? And why the big hubbub to get her out all of the sudden." Wesley was about to answer, but his phone rang. With an apologetic glance he lifted the receiver. He didn't say anything, just listened intently before replacing it in the cradle.

"Anything?" Cordelia asked, the ringing drawing her into the room.

"Giles just confirmed. Buffy is missing. They don't know where she is." Cordelia closed her eyes, sinking into a chair next to Kate.

"Buffy?" Kate asked.

"The other Slayer," Wesley explained. "She was called before Faith. During one of her many battles she drowned, causing the activation of the next Slayer, but she was revived by her friends. She lives two hours north of here in the town of Sunnydale, guarding the Hellmouth."

"She's the good Slayer," Cordelia interrupted him. "Faith is the bad Slayer. Buffy saves the world. Faith tried to destroy it. I grew up with their hi-jinx. If the world needs saving you want Buffy on the case. Faith is much better sitting in a jail cell thinking about what she's done."

"Then why is she trying to get released?" Kate asked, confused again.

"I had a vision," Cordelia admitted, "of Faith fighting off a horde of demons in our old school."

"Faith? What about Buffy?"

"That's what we asked. I immediately contacted Mr. Giles and this is the situation we are finding ourselves in." He turned to Cordelia. "If Buffy is truly missing then the Hellmouth is without a guardian. If the Powers are warning us that Faith is needed there…"

"Something big must be coming," Cordelia finished. "But why warn us and not the Council?"

"Perhaps they did," Wesley shrugged. "The Council has proven itself quite inept at dealing with the current situation."

"Understatement of the year," Cordelia whined, resting her eyes again but Kate looked confused.

"Council?" Kate asked.

"Watcher's Council," he explained. "They have existed almost as long as the Slayer. A prominent group of men and women who supposedly support the Slayer. They train and guide her, prepare her for what she must fight every night, offer the wealth of knowledge and wisdom that a young girl can't possibly comprehend. A Slayer and her Watcher, if properly united, make a formidable team."

"You're a member of this Council?" Fred spoke up. Kate jumped, having forgotten the girl had followed them in.

"I was," he admitted. "Back when I was young and even more naive." The phone rang again, and after a brief conversation Wesley looked at Cordelia. "Faith is going to be released to my temporary custody tonight. In the morning we will be traveling to Sunnydale, where Giles will take full responsibility for her."

"In the morning we'll all go," Angel said. Everybody jumped. No one heard him come in. He and Gunn were covered with gore, but thankfully nobody looked hurt.

"We'll need to bring some things with us," Wesley told him. "They lost everything fighting Glory. They'll need books, weapons, anything we can spare."

"We'll take it all," Angel decided. He turned to the ex-Watcher. "I thought the Council was going to help them rebuild."

"So I was told, but what that actually entails is a mystery."

"What about our current cases?" Cordelia spoke up.

"Anything supernatural?" Angel asked. Cordelia reluctantly shook her head. "Then they can wait or they can find someone else." He looked at his team. "In the morning I am going with Wesley and Faith to help in Sunnydale."

"You just can't stop being her knight in shining armor can you?" Cordelia asked, resigned.

"What?" Angel looked between her and Wesley.

"Apparently the situation is more delicate than we thought. Buffy is missing." Angel's eyes flashed at the news.

"When do we pick up Faith?" he growled.

"We?" Wesley questioned, but shrank back at the murderous look Angel flashed him. "In a few hours," he admitted.

"Pack up everything," he ordered, heading for the stairs. "We leave as soon as we get Faith. Anyone who wants to come is welcome." With that he disappeared up the stairs. Gunn turned to Cordelia.

"Is it going to be that bad?" he asked her. She sighed.

"If Buffy's missing and Faith is the one to save us, it's going to be bad."

"Cool," Gunn grinned, before heading for the stairs and hopefully a shower. The two members of Angel Investigation who had actually come from Sunnydale merely shrugged.

"I'll get the weapons," Cordelia started.

"I'll get the books," Wesley finished.

"Can I help?" Fred started, before shyly looking down at her hands. "I mean I can help you pack up the books if that's okay."

"Of course you can help," Wesley smiled at the uncomfortable girl and gently took her hand. She was still skittish around people, but was trying to overcome her fears. Eventually only Kate and Cordelia were standing in the small office.

"How bad is this?" Kate asked the younger girl.

"Knowing our luck it's probably going to be an apocalypse," Cordelia told her before turning away and gathering up the few weapons laying around that room. "Like I haven't had enough of those to last a lifetime or ten," she muttered as she made her way out of the room, leaving the former cop alone with her thoughts.

* * *

"Lehane!" Faith looked up at the summons. She was in the quad with her fellow inmates, just minding her own business. She quickly thought back to figure out what she did wrong. Earlier that week a newbie had picked a fight with her to get some street cred, but she was very careful not to hurt the other woman. Too much. Faith sighed, taking a final drag of her cigarette before turning to see who was calling her.

"Yeah?" she asked unconcernedly, but was shocked when she saw the Warden marching through the quad in her direction. It wasn't the first time she had a talk with the Warden, and probably wouldn't be the last either, but she usually summoned Faith up to her shiny and safe office, not squalling in the dirt with all the animals. She quickly schooled her face when the woman neared.

"Come with me," she ordered, not even waiting to see if Faith followed before heading back out. Half of the Warden's bodyguards followed her, the other half waiting on the Slayer. Faith shrugged, flicking the extinguished butt into the can, before following. The remaining guards formed rank around her. The Warden led her to her cell, where another guard was waiting for her with a large plastic bag. "Gather your things," she ordered.

"What's going on?" Faith asked, putting her hands on her hips and making no effort to do as she was told. Something was going on here and Faith wasn't going to help until they explained.

"Gather your things or we will!" the Warden ordered again. Faith could see the tension in the woman's shoulders and easily saw how angry she was. With a shrug of indifference, Faith entered her cell and began roughly putting everything she owned into that bag. It didn't take long. Once the task was complete the Warden turned and left. Faith didn't need to be told to follow her.

They led her to one of the private interrogation rooms the police used whenever they came to talk to one of the inmates. After handcuffing her to the table, they all left, leaving her bag of stuff on one of the far chairs next to another bag that she could see held the clothes she wore the night she turned herself in. Really confused and slightly concerned, she lowered herself into a chair and began working on the meditation techniques Angel had been teaching her. She had just started feeling calm again when the door opened.

"Angel?" she asked when she saw him. It was way past visiting hours and even then they we're never done in this room. Her eyes widened at the figure who followed Angel into the room. "Wesley?"

"Faith," Wesley greeted cautiously. They moved to the table, careful to stay on the far side away from where Faith was restrained. "We only have a few minutes before we are joined by the others so please listen carefully."

"What's going on?" she asked immediately. Wesley was shifting uncomfortably, which was normal for him, but Angel was worried.

"Buffy's missing," Angel told her before Wesley could speak up. Wesley shot the vampire a careful glance and Angel began breathing deeply as he struggled to find his own calmness. Wesley turned back to Faith.

"We have a situation and need your help," he told her.

"I'm in," she told him, needing to hear nothing more. "I need to make it right with B so whatever you need I'm there." Wesley narrowed his eyes.

"The Council is arranging your temporary release into the custody of a Watcher," he told her. "I need to know if you're going to kill us all in our sleep." Now it was Faith's turn to sigh.

"I know it doesn't mean much," she told them, for the first time letting all her emotions show on her face, "but I'm sorry. I give you my word I will not hurt you. I only want to help." Wesley could only nod as the door opened again. Faith schooled her face once more as the Warden entered the room, followed by politicians, lawyers, diplomats, and some people Faith couldn't even begin to guess. They were clearly in the middle of a heated argument, but Faith didn't pay them any attention, instead keeping her focus on the men in front of her. Eventually she found herself uncuffed and seated in the back seat of Angel's car as they drove from the prison.

"So what's the story?" she asked as they drove. Wesley and Angel explained everything they knew so when they finally arrived at the Hyperion Faith was fully up to speed. Gunn's truck was already there, loaded to the brim with boxes of books and weapons, the few suitcases looking extremely out of place. "You guys moving out?"

"We're taking them some supplies," Angel told her, stopping the car behind Gunn's truck. "They lost everything fighting Glory."

"Wait!" Faith held up her hand. "What? Who's this Glory?"

"Glory was their latest apocalypse," Wesley said tersely. The group still hadn't quite forgiven Angel's behavior during that time. Although they had made much headway on repairing their friendship they still didn't like to talk about that time. "It is a very long story that will probably take us the entire trip to tell."

"Right. Talk about it later." She hopped out at the hotel, following the others inside. "Nice digs." She looked around the lobby before refocusing on Angel. "Do I have time for a shower?"

"A quick one," Wesley answered. "We are nearly ready to depart."

"Be back in five," she told them before grabbing her bag of clothes and following Angel to the rooms. Everybody converged in the lobby, drawn there by the bright orange jumpsuit Faith was still wearing.

"So that's her?" Gunn asked. He was being peppered with stories of the dark Slayer from Cordelia. "She doesn't look so tough."

"Wait till she's trying to kill you," Cordelia snarked just as Angel came back down the stairs.

"We ready?" he asked the group.

"We have a small problem with that," Gunn admitted, pointing to several boxes and suitcases that were piled up near the door.

"When I said everything I meant just the demon stuff," Angel sighed before looking into the office. All the invoices and books that they kept for the normal part of the business were still untouched.

"This is just the demon stuff," Gunn told him. "If you know what demonic reference books we will not be needing I am more than happy to leave them behind. Or maybe you just want to spend God knows how long in the same clothes you're wearing now?"

"God no," Wesley moaned, recognizing one of the suitcases as his own and realizing Gunn must have packed a bag for him and Angel.

"Then we need a bigger ride," Gunn told them. "We have enough space for some of the stuff and all of the people, or all of the stuff and some of the people."

"We can rent a larger vehicle," Wesley pointed out.

"At this time of the night?" Angel countered. "We can always borrow one."

"And I'm sure you will have the owner's consent when you borrow one," Kate said as she walked through the front doors and heard the last bit of their conversation. "What you need is another car." She held her car keys in front of her.

"Kate? What are you doing here?" Angel asked. Kate drew in a deep breath and faced off against the vampire.

"I hate you Angel," she began, surprised when nobody moved to stop her. "My life was perfect before you came. Then I met you and everything changed. You showed me this whole other world and I've lost everything to it. It took my family, it took my job, and it almost took my life. I've been struggling these last few weeks to find where I belong, and I finally realized where. I became a cop for my father, but I stayed a cop because I felt I was able to help people. I realize I still want to help, but in this new world."

"Are you asking me for a job?" Angel asked carefully. Kate laughed.

"God no. I don't think I could work with you day in and day out without killing you," she admitted, "at least not right now. But I do want to help and from what I'm hearing you could use all the help you can get."

"You know she's right Angel," came a quiet voice from the stairs. "We need all the help we can get or they never would've busted my ass out of jail." Faith walked determinedly down the stairs. She had changed into her normal clothes, but the cocky attitude they were all expecting was missing.

"Are you up for this?" Angel asked, recognizing her demeanor. It was one of resignation that he himself wore quite a few times.

"It's B," she simply answered. "I have to be."

"Okay," he agreed before turning back to the former detective. "You sure you want to be a part of this?"

"I'm in," she said, leaving no room for argument.

"Okay, Wesley can ride with Gunn, Faith is coming with me and Cordelia can ride with Kate," Angel paired up everybody.

"What about me?" Everybody looked to Fred, who seemed amazed by what she had just said. Rather than backing down though she stood her ground. "I want to help."

"You can ride with us girls," Cordelia immediately offered. "That way I can prepare you for the Hell that is Sunnydale. And I mean that literally." Kate looked worried but she tossed the keys to Gunn and between Angel's car and her SUV they soon had everything loaded. An hour after leaving prison Faith found herself heading toward the one place she swore she would never return. Ain't life a bitch.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1. Enjoy.

* * *

"Xander!" Cordelia screeched when she saw her former boyfriend. They had arrived in Sunnydale just as the sun was rising and took refuge in the mansion, much to everyone's dismay. Gunn started looking for places to stay, with little luck, while Wesley was trying to get a hold of Giles, who wasn't expecting them until tonight. Cordelia offered to get coffee and breakfast for everybody, since she knew the area. Fred, eager to explore another part of the world, went with her.

"Cordy?" Xander gaped as she walked quickly toward him. Anya looked between those two suspiciously, especially when Cordelia pulled him into a tight hug. "How are you?"

"Good," she said as she released him. "Strange to be back but good." She turned to Fred. "These are some old friends of mine. This is Xander and his,"

"Fiancé," Anya interrupted, making a show of holding her hand up so they could see the ring. "Xander has asked me to marry him. You can't have Xander for orgasms anymore." Both Xander and Cordelia blushed.

"Really not a problem anymore," Cordelia said to her. Appeased, Anya started walking again, forcing everyone to fall into step with her.

"What is it with you and demons Xander?" she asked sarcastically. He could only shrug, before turning to Fred.

"It's nice to meet you," he said pleasantly, made slightly more difficult by the fact that Anya hadn't slowed down any.

"A pleasure," she said timidly. "Is everybody always in this much of a hurry?"

"I am on a schedule," she called out behind her, only stopping when they came to a furniture store. "I have many decisions to make and am needed at the house to do some menial labor under Xander's supervision."

"Ahn," Xander warned, speeding up to catch up to his fiancé. "We're just getting the basics. Once Joyce is up to making decisions she'll be the one to decide what furniture she wants."

"I understand," Anya said, heading directly to a small table that she had obviously looked at many times before. "When she's able to make her decision we will gladly take these items into our own home, but until then we should have something for everyone to use."

"It's not big enough for everyone to use," Xander tried again to make her see reason, but eventually he just sighed and sat down in one of the chairs as Anya made her order.

"What's wrong with Joyce?" Cordelia asked, taking the seat next to him while Fred hovered in the back ground.

"You heard about Buffy right?" Xander asked, wondering how much the AI group knew. Cordelia nodded her head. "Joyce is in a state of shock combined with guilt," he told them, "at least according to Giles. She barely gets up anymore and hasn't made any decisions since it happened. Not one. And we're trying to rebuild her house and her business. She kinda has to make some decisions."

"How's Dawn doing?" Cordelia asked, having gotten close to the youngest Summers girl during their stay in L.A.

"She's coping better than her mom is," he admitted. Xander opened his mouth to say something else, then thought better of it and closed it again.

"Xander," Cordelia warned, "tell me everything." Xander sighed.

"Joyce was there when Buffy was taken. She says she was the reason Buffy got taken." Behind them Fred gasped.

"Is it true?" Cordelia asked, not really wanting to know the answer.

"I think it is," he said, then quickly clarified. "I mean, I don't think she planned it or wanted it to happen or anything like that, but when she made it back and told us what happened Giles got this look in his eyes. Like he was expecting this to happen and it finally did."

"They used her mother against her?" Fred asked, understanding the situation. Xander nodded.

"It's not the first time it's ever happened. Even Giles admitted he was surprised that it took this long for the demons to figure out that we were Buffy's weakness and use them, meaning us, against her. He said that's one of the reasons Slayers are separated from their families and not allowed to have friends."

"Oh God," Cordelia frowned as she thought about what Joyce was going through. "Where is she? Where is everyone? We drove by the house and found charred remains. Same thing with Giles's place."

"Joyce is probably at the house we rented," he told her, "but everyone else is probably at the new house. We're heading back there once Anya is done ordering some furniture. It's not quite finished yet but we're rushing to get it habitable."

"Why?" Fred asked. "Why are you not rushing to your friend's aid?" She was very confused. Angel had left at a moment's notice for this girl, but her friends weren't even looking for her.

"Fred!" Cordelia admonished, shooting Xander an apologetic glance. She knew how close the Scoobies were and knew they were doing everything they could. Xander just sighed, sagging lower in his chair in defeat.

"We've tried everything we can think of. Only a few books survived Glory's reign of destruction and Giles had read those cover to cover looking for any information that might help. Willow and Tara are trying locator spells every few hours. Giles was even desperate enough to call the Council. Even Spike was out beating up demons trying to find the ones that took her. It's like they just disappeared. All we can do is wait."

"Giles is trying to keep everyone from dwelling on the fact that Buffy is probably dead by giving us endless tasks to accomplish for the new house," Anya said, joining them abruptly. "I believe today we are painting the living and dining rooms in preparation for the furniture to be delivered while Xander and his crew work on the upstairs bedrooms. That is why we are on such a tight schedule to order the necessary furnishings." She turned and briskly walked out of the store, leaving the others no choice but to follow her.

"Giles thinks she's dead?" Cordelia asked as they followed the former demon down the street towards The Espresso Pump, where both groups got coffee for everyone.

"He doesn't know," he admitted, "but he's concerned that the locator spells aren't working."

"Have you tried looking in other dimensions?" Fred asked suddenly. Xander and Anya both looked at her and she tried to hide behind Cordelia. "It's just, I was stuck in another dimension for a very long time and was apparently opening portals between places without even knowing it."

"You mean like the Hellmouth opening?" Xander asked. "Cause I'm pretty sure we would have noticed that."

"No," Cordelia countered. "I was surprised by that too, but not all portals are all Hellmouthy. In the ones I went through, the air just kinda shimmered and they appeared then poof they were gone."

"Really?" Xander asked before turning to Anya who joined them with several containers of coffee. "Is that true?"

"Yes," Anya said as she passed out coffee to everyone, including a tray for Angel's people. "Most portals are relatively simple, but they are designed for single use trips. The only time you need a Hellmouth opening between dimensions are when you are trying to bring an army through. Of course then you get into power problems, like Glory had."

"We need to tell this to Giles," Xander exclaimed, happy to be able to help again.

"Why?" Anya asked.

"So we can start researching," he told her incredulously, before sagging once more as reality set in, "researching in the books we no longer have."

"We brought books," Cordelia offered. Xander and Anya both perked up at the news. Anya turned to her boyfriend.

"Where can we do research?" she asked. "The Magic Box and The Gallery are still not set up. The stock is just lying around everywhere there."

"The house. The basement is finished. We can bring some folding chairs and tables down there. Won't be the most comfortable place, but we can manage."

"Then when we get bored and find nothing of importance we can work on finishing the house," Anya agreed. She turned to the two ladies. "You do know where our new residence is don't you?"

"No," Cordelia shook her head. Xander quickly told her and the two groups left and went their separate ways. Two hours later the group from L.A. was turning on the newly paved road in the clearing on the outskirts of town.

"This is her house?" Gunn asked as they pulled up in front of a large estate. It made the mansion look like an old dilapidated doghouse. Everybody except Angel got out of their cars to stare at the large building.

"It wasn't before," Cordelia said in shock. The house actually put her old one to shame, which is something she never thought she would be able to say.

"Is this what working with the mysterious Council gets you?" Gunn asked Wesley, "Because if it is we are definitely working for the wrong people." Wesley could only stammer in response, but luckily he was saved by Giles coming out to greet him.

"Thank you for coming," he greeted them all, giving them all genuine but strained smiles. "Faith," he greeted, coming up to the dark Slayer.

"G," she greeted before turning back to the place. "Nice digs." He turned to look at the building. The house was completely finished on the outside. If it wasn't for the numerous construction vehicles that spoke of inside work and the landscaping that still wasn't complete it would have looked very impressive. They could see several other construction vehicles in the next lot over, as they prepared to pour a foundation for one of the houses.

"I doubt the Council will be very pleased to learn how we have spent their generous funds," he shared a secret smile with Wesley. While they had clashed initially, they had since bonded over their love of watching the Council flounder.

"So this is B's new pads," Faith commented, surprising herself when there wasn't a trace of animosity in her voice. Maybe the time away from all this did her some good after all. Giles shot her a hard, searching look before answering.

"This will be the Summers residence," he told the group. "It technically will belong to Joyce."

"But?" Gunn followed. "I hear a but in there somewhere." Giles cringed.

"But it has become a sort of headquarters for Buffy and the others."

"A new Council building," Wesley said, astounded by the idea.

"So it would seem," Giles told him resignedly.

"They're not going to like that," Wesley warned. "They were already opposed to the idea of Buffy having friends that fight with her. To openly dismiss them and build a new headquarters with their own funds takes guts."

"I know," he agreed, "which is why it is technically the Summers residence."

"They will find out eventually," Wesley said, turning toward the Watcher. He sighed.

"When they do we'll deal with the fallout. As long as it's not today. Today we have enough to deal with." He looked at the ex-Watcher hopefully. "Xander said you brought books?"

"Yes," Wesley answered as they turned back to their vehicles. "And Angel is cowering in the back of Kate's SUV. For some reason he doesn't want to burst into flames."

"I wish that was a trait our own vampire would adhere to," he said as he approached the larger car. "Rupert Giles," he introduced himself to the lady behind the wheel.

"Kate Lockley," she shook his hand awkwardly through the window, not wanting to intrude on the group she wasn't part of. He turned to the pile of blankets in the back seat and spoke to the vampire hiding beneath them.

"I'm afraid the garage is still under construction, and the windows on the main floor and the basement are still uncovered, but there is a vampire safe room in the basement you can use until the sun goes down. It might hurt a bit, but Spike has managed to make the run several times."

"If Spike can make it so can I," a voice sounded from underneath the blankets. Angel looked up from the relative safety of the car to get the lay of the land then nodded to Gunn. Gunn opened the door, holding it wide for the vampire, who rushed out of the car and into the building. He had no problem finding the basement, sparing it the briefest glance as he zeroed in on the safe room he was promised. He barreled through the door, pushing the now smoking blanket of his body as he did only to find Spike lazily watching him from a cot.

"Peaches," he greeted, not bothering to get up and instead turning his attention back to the magazine he was pretending to read.

"Spike," Angel growled. "What are you doing here?"

"Same thing as you I'd imagine," he said, casually turning the page of the magazine. "I'm here about a lady." Angel looked around the room. There were no other furnishings in the small space.

"Is this a cell?" he asked, trying the door behind him. He was surprised when it wasn't locked. The door might be open, but Angel could feel the burn of the sunlight surrounding this room. He couldn't understand why Spike was laying there so calmly.

"Naw," Spike said dismissively, "that's next door. And a pretty good cell too. I wasn't able to break out of it, much to Buffy's delight. The Whelp finally found his calling." He turned the page again. "Once the girls get everything decorated the basement would be a right nice place to call home. Course that's all thrown out the window with this latest crisis."

"If you had anything to do with this," Angel threatened, pulling Spike up by the collar.

"Watch the coat," Spike warned, easily getting clear of Angel's grasp. "I want her back same as you. I didn't have anything to do with it." Angel nodded, sinking onto the cot before shooting to his feet again at Spike's next statement. "I love her."

"You can't love her," he told the younger vampire. "You don't have a soul." Spike growled.

"What is it with this group and having a soul?" he asked out loud before facing his grand sire. "You've watched me for over a hundred years with Drusilla. I stayed with her after you left, after Darla left. Do you think I would put up with her madness if I didn't love her?" Angel sighed. Spike had a point. He collapsed back onto the cot before looking at the blonde.

"Darla's back," he said simply. Spike shrugged noncommittally. "You don't seem too surprised by that."

"Dru stopped by during the whole Glory thing," he explained, pulling out a cigarette and popping it in his mouth. "Said grandmother was calling to her. Then I thought I felt something a few weeks later."

"Dru turned her," Angel said. "I tried to save her, but I was too late."

"Can't save everyone," Spike told him, "especially those that don't want to be saved." He took a long drag on his cigarette but didn't light it. Angel looked up at him questioningly. "Joyce doesn't like it when I smoke in the house," he explained.

"How is Joyce?" Angel asked softly.

"Better now you lot are here," Spike told him. "Worried about her since the Slayer was taken. Barely ate, barely moved. I think she only got out of bed and lived for the Niblet. But now she has purpose again." He took another drag from his unlit cigarette. "I was staying with her you know, during the day when everybody else was trying to get their lives back together. She was just layin in bed, not even sleeping, just layin there. Never been so worried about her, except that time she was in the hospital. She just seemed to want to fade away. Then Giles said you were here with books and they could finally do something to help Buffy. It was like new life was brought in to her." He turned to face his former friend and enemy. "Thank you. I don't know what I would do if I lost any of them."

"You really do love them," Angel said, amazed. "All of them."

"With all my unbeating heart," Spike confirmed. Just then the door opened and the two vampires looked up.

"Spike," Joyce admonished when she saw the cigarette in his mouth. She placed a chair in the corner of the room and a large paper bag on top of it.

"Not lit love," he told her, quickly putting it back in his pack. "I promised." Joyce sighed and turned her attention to the other man.

"I'm sorry we can't do any better for you. Normally I would just tear up some old sheets to cover the windows, but we don't even have those."

"It's okay Ms. Summers," Angel told her. "This is fine."

"Joyce," she told him after a few seconds. "I brought a chair so you can at least sit down. And some blood in case you're hungry. Eventually we'll have a bed and a little mini fridge here. Maybe a TV or bookcase. Make it a bit more cozy."

"Joyce," Spike interrupted her. "You're babbling." Joyce nodded her head, taking a deep breath before turning Angel.

"I just wanted to say thank you."

"I just hope we can find something to help," Angel said, looking concerned. Joyce shook her head.

"Not for that," she told him. "Well not only for that." Angel suddenly looked uncomfortable.

"You're welcome," he told her. She smiled and headed for the door.

"I'll let you know when we have something to block the sun," she told them as she left the room. Spike looked at him curiously before opening the bag, handing him a carton of pig's blood. They both drank quietly, each lost in their thoughts.


	4. Chapter 4

Warnings and disclaimer in chapter 1. Enjoy.

* * *

Hours later they were able to rejoin the rest of the group in a darkened corner of the basement. The basement had been transformed and Angel and Spike were both amazed that this was the same room they had run through in their desperate race for cover.

Like the rest of the house the interior was still bare, waiting for the time when the group could decorate the way they wanted. Unlike the rest of the house there were no major construction projects left to do here. The large various rooms had been painted, which the group was still working on up on the main level, and there were no dry walling or wiring that needed to be completed, like up on the second floor. Even the flooring had been installed in the various rooms, leaving open, but completely finished spaces.

Now though every space was filled. Folding tables and chairs had been brought down and boxes of books were stacked everywhere. In the corner they could see the piles of weapons Angel had brought down from L.A. Suitcases and sleeping bags were piled in another corner, and they could see window shades had been made simply by piling blankets in front of the windows nearest them.

"Where is everybody?" Angel asked, as he carefully maneuvered his way across the sun crossed floor to the largest table, where Giles, Wesley, Fred, Willow, and Tara were talking animatedly.

"The boys are upstairs painting, under the direction of Anya. The girls have gone shopping," Wesley told him. "We have been invited to stay here for as long as needed, but we do require supplies. I'm afraid we'll have to rough it for a few days," he said, indicating the sleeping bags that the women had just delivered. Something about his statement clicked in his brain.

"I didn't need an invite," he said, just realizing that no one officially invited him in. "Why don't I need an invite?" he asked, turning to Giles for the answer.

"Because we haven't officially moved in," Giles explained. "Despite everything you see, this house is still under construction and we are still officially residences of the home we rented."

"So anyone can just barge in here?" Angel asked. "Any demon or vampire? It's not safe." Spike rolled his eyes.

"The only demons daft enough to enter the home of the Slayer are us. I know you abandoned them for their own good, but the Scoobies have grown up. They've covered patrol for her many times."

"That's right," Willow said looking up. "We took care of patrol for a whole summer once," she reminded him before remembering why neither the Slayer nor the vampire was there. She quickly looked back down.

"Not the most convincing argument there Red," Spike threw out, "but it's true. Besides, most of the demons know if they mess with the Scoobies they will get a very pissed off Slayer on their hands soon after."

"Right," Angel reluctantly let it drop before focusing on the books the group had been focusing on. "What are you doing?"

"We're seeing if we can modify our locator spells to search beyond our own dimension," Tara told them.

"But there are thousands of demon dimensions," Angel protested. "It's like looking for a needle in a haystack."

"Not necessarily," Anya said, coming downstairs with drinks for everyone. "Assuming what we're thinking is true we know a few things we didn't before. We know they had a sizable force to capture Buffy. They also opened a portal to our dimension powerful enough for that force to come, capture the Slayer, and leave again with no trace. That indicates their world is highly organized and civilized."

"Civilized?" Fred asked. Anya shrugged.

"Pylia was civilized," she pointed out. "Not in the 'everybody is treated equally' way, but there are laws and rules that demons obeyed. Most demon dimensions are wild, untamed places. There are only a handful that could pull this off."

"She's right," Willow admitted reluctantly. Anya beamed. "I think we have the spell rewritten to search inter-dimensionally. But we still need something to indicate a positive match."

"Oh I can help with that. Hallie!" Anya yelled to the ceiling and two seconds later a vengeance demon popped into the middle of the room.

"Anya," she greeted, hugging her friend quickly. "Have you finally tired of these mortals? I normally save my wishes for children's vengeance, they have such active imaginations when they are younger, but I will make an exception for you. Whatever you wish I will provide."

"Hallie," Anya admonished before showing her engagement ring off. "Xander asked me to marry him." Giles coughed discretely behind them. "Oh. And we need to borrow the Codec."

"The Codec?" she asked, waving her hand. Magically a small book fell into her hand. She handed it to Anya. "You do remember only Vengeance Demons are able to travel between dimensions using the Codec right?"

"I know," she said, passing the book off to Tara, "we just need it to get a location. Now about the wedding. I can't decide between a traditional human wedding or a demonic one. Has larva made a comeback in the fashion world?" she asked as the two demons went back upstairs.

"Larva?" Tara asked as she passed off the book to Giles. "I hope she's kidding."

"Don't count on it," Giles said as he examined the book closely. "It's blank," he said, passing it off to Wesley.

"Of course it is," Angel said. Everybody turned to look at him. "It's magical. It fills in only when it's needed. I thought everyone knew this."

"Apparently not," Wesley told him, examining the book closely. Giles pulled out his keys and tossed them to Willow.

"Go to the Magic Box and get everything we will need," he told her.

"And if Anya finds us looting the store again?" she asked as she grabbed her purse. Anya was fiercely protective of the store's merchandise.

"Remind her who actually owns the store," Giles advised her, "and the merchandise." Thirty minutes later Willow returned with the necessary supplies. The boys had finished painting and were loitering in the basement, and the girls had returned from their latest shopping spree. The large room seemed to shrink with everybody crowding inside it.

The witches had commandeered a large space in the center of the room to do their spell. Tables and chairs had been pushed aside, leaving even less space in the once massive room. But nobody was willing to leave as the moment finally came. "Okay," Willow said finally once the preparations were complete. She looked up to Giles. He gave her a gentle nod.

"It's one of those necessary times," Tara reassured her. Willow nodded and they both began to chant. Minutes passed before a small speck of light appeared between the women. As the witches continued to chant, it got larger and larger, eventually splitting into many small balls of light, which began circling the still chanting witches. The chanting got stronger and the lights moved faster before coming together on the open Codec that sat between them. There was a bright flash of light and the witches collapsed even as a symbol burned brightly on the magical paper.

"Well that's not good," Hallie said. Nobody noticed her and Anya come back into the basement. "You sure you don't want to leave them to their fate? This won't be pretty."

"I'm sure," she took the book from the circle and handed it back to her friend. "Thanks for letting us borrow that. I'll let you know about the wedding."

"If you're still alive for it," Hallie said softly before poofing out. Anya turned back to the group.

"She's right you know. We're all probably going to die."

"Why?" Giles said, not recognizing the symbol.

"It's one of the nastier dimensions," Anya told them, "and right now under the leadership of Azeroth."

"Good Lord," Wesley exclaimed. Anya just turned to Xander.

"It's never too late to elope," she said suggestively. He ignored her, instead focusing on the two Watchers.

"Giles? You okay?" he asked. It wasn't every day that the older man was shocked speechless. "Who's this Azeroth?"

"A very old, very powerful demon," Wesley answered, "who will be nearly impossible to defeat."

"He's got B?" Faith asked from her position in the corner of the room.

"So it would seem," Giles answered. "The question is why."

"No," she said, getting to her feet and approaching the Watcher. "The question is where. The why's can wait until after we get B back home safe and sound."

"Right," Giles replied, sounding chastised. "Anya, you know the most about demon dimensions. Can we open a portal there?"

"It will be difficult," she said after a minute of hard thinking, "and dangerous. We'll need a major power source to do it though."

"What about me?" a soft voice spoke up. The group looked back at Dawn, some with sympathetic glances others with appraising. "Glory wanted me to open her portal. That must mean I can do it, right?"

"Possibly," Giles said, looking over at Joyce carefully. It was obvious she didn't like the idea, but she didn't outright refuse. "We'd have to research," he said carefully.

"Right," Dawn said carefully, before turning to her mother. "I can do this."

"I have no doubt," Joyce said, careful to give neither a no or a yes to Dawn's not quite question. "But Giles is right. We need to research this and make a plan before any decisions are made. And I know I'm exhausted. We all need a good night's rest." The other's quickly agreed, noticing for the first time the sun was starting to set. Faith grabbed a stake and stood in front of the Watchers.

"If it's alright with you I'm gonna patrol," she said, clearly asking for permission. Giles's eyes widened in surprise, but he nodded his head. "Be back in a few," she said, bounding for the door.

"In the meantime," Joyce said, taking charge of the household in the way only mothers can, "we need to get this place habitable. There are still paint fumes upstairs so we'll have to squeeze together the best we can down here tonight."

"We can still go back to the other house Mom," Dawn reminded her.

"No Dawn," she said gently, reaching out to brush her youngest daughter's hair, "this is our home now." Dawn smiled before pulling away in a typical teenage move. "Now we have a lot of work to do."

* * *

The next morning was pretty much the same as the day before with just a few exceptions. Anya joined the research group, much to their dismay, while Joyce took Anya's place of telling the boys exactly how she wanted things in her house. The carpet had been delivered and installed earlier that morning. The appliances Joyce had ordered arrived, as did the furniture Anya picked out. She wrinkled her nose in distaste, but couldn't fault Xander's logic. "This is what you get when you let Anya make these decisions," he told her on one of the few breaks we was taking. His crew upstairs were on their last room and Xander really wanted to get it done and get his guys out of the house. He was afraid what they might accidentally stumble into and was worried that it might not be so accidental. Getting the non-supernatural people out of the line of fire was big on his to do list.

That night Joyce christened the house with its very first home cooked dinner. The kitchen table, which was definitely not big enough for everybody but would probably work well for just Xander and Anya, was nearly buckling under the strain of all the food Joyce put on it. They now had some comfortable couches and chairs in the living room, again not big enough for everybody, but it was better than nothing. They talked about nothing of importance during dinner, not wanting to spoil the celebratory mood, even though not everyone was there to celebrate. After dinner the mood darkened.

"Well?" Joyce asked as everyone made themselves as comfortable in the newly put together front room.

"We can do it," Giles told her quietly. "We can open a portal. A small group can go through and bring Buffy back."

"But?" she asked, knowing it was coming.

"It's extremely dangerous for everyone involved. We will need to keep the portal opened continuously until they return and we have no way of stopping random demons from coming through. If the portal closes for whatever reason the group that went through will be stranded."

"Then there's the strain on those opening the portal," Wesley continued. "The longer the portal needs to stay open the more at risk they would be. The energy required could literally drain the life out of them."

"Dawn?" Joyce asked. Dawn looked up when she heard her name, but made no move to sway her mother either way.

"We'll need her for the portal," Willow reluctantly admitted. "But just a drop of blood, maybe two." Tara nodded.

"Just to open the portal initially," she added. "Willow and I will be the ones actually keeping the portal open." Joyce looked at the group carefully. There was no doubt on their faces.

"You've already decided haven't you," she said, looking at her youngest daughter. Dawn then decided to join her.

"I want to do this," she said. "I owe it to Buffy to at least try."

"I know," she said. "But I'm telling Buffy this was your idea." The brunette looked horrified but nodded anyway. "I'm so proud of you," she said, before looking up. "So who's going in?"

"I am," everybody else said at the same time. Wesley scoffed.

"You can't all go in. We need somebody on this side to protect the witches, let alone kill any demons that will invariably make their way through an open portal."

"Wesley is right," Giles agreed. "A small team is best. Faith, Angel, and Spike will have the best shot at success."

"And me," Kate said, speaking up for the first time.

"Kate," Angel sighed, momentarily forgetting she was even there. She had kept to the background, not really offering anything to the group and just helping out where she could. "We are essentially talking about going to Hell."

"Going to Hell on one side and defending from it on the other," she said, clearly learning more than anyone thought she had. "I can't fight, not with swords and axes like everyone here can. And you can't fight whatever you're going to need to fight down there with Buffy in your arms."

"Buffy could still be fine," Spike said, clutching at straws. The fact that nobody agreed with him said it all. Kate sighed.

"Look, I might not know demons, but I do know obsession. Anyone, anything that goes to this kind of trouble to kidnap someone isn't going to let them go without a fight. And usually their obsession is their first victim. Let me go with you. I can at least hold her while you fight to save her." Angel nodded reluctantly, knowing everything she said was true.

"That clears that up," Wesley said, "now we simply need to decide a place to open our portal."

"The Hellmouth," Xander said calmly, looking between Willow and Giles. "We're going back to school."


	5. Chapter 5

Warnings and disclaimer in chapter 1. Enjoy.

* * *

The plan was set. The preparations made. Everybody knew their assigned positions. Everyone gathered in the ruined remains of the library. They had dealt with the few demons who tried to call this place home and were waiting on Willow and Tara to finish their magical preparations. Dawn stood outside the circle, her eyes never leaving the witches. Joyce stood next to Dawn, her arms around her youngest daughter.

"Only a small nick," Giles was telling them again. The three of them had gone over what was needed for the spell many times last night until both mother and daughter knew exactly what was going to happen. "Just a few drops of blood to open the portal. Then Willow and Tara will take over and you'll just be along for the ride. You might feel a little woozy or tired, but that is perfectly normal. Fred will smash the chalice and end the spell if anything untold happens."

"We know," Joyce said quietly, stopping the British man's ramblings. He nodded. Everybody knew what they were doing.

"We're ready," Willow announced, drawing everyone's attention. Joyce turned her daughter around so they were facing each other.

"Are you sure?" she asked, conflicting emotions clear on her face. Her need to protect one daughter warring with the need to do everything they could to help her other daughter. Dawn took a deep breath and nodded.

"I'm sure." She smiled reassuredly at her younger daughter, giving her hand a quick squeeze, before letting her go. It was one of the hardest things she had ever done. Dawn quickly stepped into the circle, along with Fred, and joined Willow and Tara. They took their places and soon the witches stared chanting. The others gathered around the circle. Nobody knew exactly where the portal would be opening.

"Remember," Wesley told the group, "the energy we will be using will undoubtedly draw demons from both sides. We don't want anything getting through."

"We know," Gunn interrupted just as Tara carefully took Dawn's hand and quickly made a little cut. "Kill first and ask questions later." Tara dropped the blooded knife into the chalice and the world exploded around them. Energy swirled around them before converging directly over the gap that led to the Hellmouth. The portal slowly came into existence, finally completely forming as the energy in the library finally dissipated. Joyce spared a quick glance at the girls. Willow and Tara were still quietly chanting, but it looked like everyone in the circle was in some sort of a trance.

"It's what we expected," Giles quickly reassured her as everyone began circling the portal. He gave a quick nod to Faith.

"Ladies first," she said, grabbing her preferred weapon and leaping through the portal. Spike was seconds behind her. Angel turned to Kate who was fiddling with the straps of the backpack she was wearing. Since she wasn't actively fighting she offered to carry their supplies.

"Are you sure?" he double checked. In response she jumped, leaving the vampire alone.

"Bring her home," Joyce spoke up. A mother's plea. "Please." Angel nodded before leaping. He was spat out on the other side, his body rolling a few times with the force. Reddish sunlight hit him and he instinctively made a mad dash toward the shade.

"Everybody okay?" he asked, automatically checking on his team.

"Five by five," Faith answered, where she was helping Kate to her feet. "You good there Blue?"

"How did you ever come up with that name for me?" Kate asked as she let the younger woman pull her to her feet. Faith shrugged.

"You're a cop. Blue blood. Thin blue line. All that crap people always say." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "I could call you pig?"

"You could call me Kate," the former detective said, brushing dirt off her pants.

"That's not my style," Faith grinned. Spike and Angel joined them, both having made a mad dash to the nearby shade of some trees in the chance that the reddish sunlight would prove flammable. "You guys good?" she asked.

"It burns a bit," Spike said, holding his hand out in front of him, "but not in the burning sort of way. More of a tingle."

"Where are we?" Kate asked, taking her first good look around. It looked like they were in a wasteland. The ground was hard, the few trees that managed to grow were gnarled and twisted. A steady supply of smoke filled the upper atmosphere, bathing the world in a reddish hue. Every so often she could see steam rising from the ground.

"We're in Hell," Angel said simply. "Death, destruction, desolation. That is what Hell is all about."

"Right," Spike said. "But there will be time to brood on your tortured years spent in Hell later. For now we're on the clock."

"Which way?" Faith asked, looking around.

"Wait!" Kate called out. "Are you going to be able to find this place again?" Faith looked at the vampires curiously. There were no markers she could see, no way to tell the portal was even here, except for a vague outline you could see if you knew it was there. Both vampires were sniffing the air curiously.

"Yes," Spike told them. "The air smells clean. Which means any demon getting close is also going to be smelling clean air and may come check it out."

"Which means we're back on the clock," Faith commented, "only with no place to go."

"We could go there," Angel said, looking through the smoke and pointing off in the distance. Spike and Faith turned, each with grins forming on their faces, but Kate couldn't see anything.

"I don't see anything," she told them, but followed their lead anyway.

"You will Blue," Faith told her. "A big honkin castle just beggin to be checked out." They quickly made their way there, the smoke easing the closer they got until Kate could finally see what had the other three's attention. Big was an understatement, they realized, as they drew near. Gigantic might be a better word for it. The castle itself put even the biggest buildings in L.A. to shame, and the wall extended for miles in either direction, straight up with no way in.

"There's no guards," Angel said ominously once they finally reached the wall. Spike shook his head.

"They're there," he countered. "They're just inside. You can hear them."

"So how do we get inside?" Kate asked, running her fingers over the smooth stone. There was no way she could scale this. She looked to the vampires but they shook their head. They couldn't scale the wall either.

"Are you here for the girl?" They spun around at the unexpected voice and found themselves looking into an innocent face of a young boy.

"What?" Kate asked, going closer to the young child. He could be no older than ten she thought. She looked around wondering where his parents were. He ignored the others and instead spoke directly to her.

"Are you here for the girl?" he asked again. "The ceremony has already started, but she refused again."

"Do you mean Buffy?" Angel asked, moving closer to the boy. He regarded Angel for a second before turning back to Kate.

"Are you here to hurt her too?" he asked.

"I'm here to help her," she told him honestly. He stared at her for a minute.

"I can help." He held out his hand and Kate moved to take it when Angel jumped between them.

"No Kate. He's a demon."

"So are you," the boy countered, unfazed. Again he held out his hand to Kate. "I don't like it when they hurt her. I can help you."

"Thank you," Kate said, taking his hand with a pointed glance at the vampire. The boy led her along the wall, the others reluctantly falling in behind them, until he came to a dead group of bushes. He waved his hand and the bushes disappeared to reveal a small grate.

"Sewers," Spike said, wrinkling his nose in distaste, but he immediately pulled the grate back, surprised when it opened on a hinge.

"Only slaves are small enough to fit in here," he told them. "Everybody is at the main square, but they will soon release her into the Labyrinth. If you can find her before they do you can help her." They quickly filed into the sewer. "Please help her," he asked once more before closing the grate behind them. A flick of his wrist and the dead bushes reappeared, leaving the sewer even gloomier than before.

"Now what?" Faith asked. They looked around. The sewer continued as far as they could see, branching out every so often. Overhead they could see grime encrusted grates that let in small amounts of light and not much else. They could hear the crowd though, louder than before.

"Follow our ears," Angel said, leading the group forward. They took several wrong turns but eventually found their way to a large central opening. Several grates provided the best illumination yet, and they could even look up and see the feet of hundreds of demons, sometimes even a patch of red sky. The roar of the crowd was nearly overwhelming, but not enough to block the sound of leather striking flesh. Above them somebody was being whipped.

"Enough!" A voice yelled out from above and immediately the crowd quieted down. They could hear someone moving around above them. "Do you…"

"No!" Buffy's voice was defiant. They all gave a sigh of relief when they heard it. She was still alive. Their smiles turned to grimaces at the next words.

"Flog her again." The crowd cheered while the vampires and the dark Slayer were going crazy.

"Stop!" Kate ordered quietly, though she doubted they would be heard over the roar the crowd above was making. The vampires were trying to claw their way out of the sewers with Faith not far behind. "Stop! You can't go up there. You'll get us all killed."

"They're hurting her," Angel said desperately, his game face coming out in sheer desperation.

"I know," she said, calmly reaching out and grabbing his hands, before doing the same with Spike. "But if we go in half-cocked the only thing we'll accomplish is our own deaths. And that won't help her." The sound of the whip could be heard again. Everybody flinched but they made no move to leave.

"This is really Hell," Faith said, sitting on the disgusting ground and curling into a ball. Kate smiled comfortingly, joining the younger woman and settling next to her. She pulled out a bottle of water, taking a few gulps before handing it to Faith. She tossed a bottle of pig's blood to the vampires to share. The vampires shuffled around, trying to see what was happening up above, but eventually they came to rest with the girls.

"Enough!" the voice commanded above. They looked at the ceiling gratefully. Buffy had endured dozens of strikes. "Do you…"

"No!" Buffy's voice rang out again, still determined but obviously weaker.

"Again!" This turned into a horrifying pattern. They lost count of how many times this cycle played out, but could do nothing to help the girl being tortured above them. Night was falling when the pattern finally broke. "Do you freely give of yourself?" the voice asked again, but this time there was no answer. "Fine," he said resignedly after a long pause. "A night in the Labyrinth might persuade you. Guards!"

"Labyrinth," Spike perked up. "That's what that boy said." They shot to their feet. Hours of listening to the torture of their friend had filled them with a cold rage and they were eager to unleash it on some monsters. They followed the crowd until they reached a wall. Or at least the crowd up top did. The sewers however continued unimpeded.

"Open the gates!" the same voice called. They could hear gears grinding as something heavy was being pulled open. Then the soft thud of something being thrown inside. "Run little Slayer," the voice said in anticipation. They could hear Buffy get unsteadily to her feet and start to run. They took off after her, cursing when she turned and they found themselves facing a wall.

"Fuck," Spike cursed as he slammed his hand against the wall. "We need to get up there." They could hear Buffy's footsteps getting softer and softer until they disappeared completely.

"Now," Angel agreed and they began looking for one of the grates that they could pry open. They finally found one that wasn't completely covered and forced it open. It took the combined strength of the two vampires and the Slayer to accomplish the task. In the distant they heard the opening of the gate once more, accompanied by the thundering sound of hundreds of demons entering the maze, laughing loudly. "We've got to hurry," Angel said as he helped Kate up the opening, before climbing out himself. Faith and Spike were already on top, examining the maze they found themselves in. Angel closed the grate behind him.

"Which way?" Faith asked. She looked at the walls, but they were twenty feet tall with no way to climb them. They would have to navigate the maze.

"Right," Spike said, leading the way. "Buffy went right." Nobody had any better ideas so they turned right, only to come across their first demon. Kate watched in amazement as the three of them turned the demon into a pile of mincemeat. They let loose all their uncontrolled anger.

"You okay?" Angel asked Faith once they regained their composure. She was looking at her bloody hands intently. She looked up at the question.

"Fine," she said, wiping her hands on her pants and looking up in determination. "Five by five." They carried on, efficiently killing any demons that crossed their path but not going completely postal like they did on the first one. Eventually they stopped, hearing the sounds of a struggle close by.

"Buffy," Angel whispered, leading the way. It still took them two wrong turns before they found her. A group of demons had her cornered at a dead end and were laughing at her feeble attempts to escape. She would run at them, only to be caught, scratched, bit, or punched and thrown back into the wall to start over again. Worryingly Buffy never tried to attack, only raising her fists when they actually had a hold of her.

The vampires saw red and flew themselves at the closest two. Faith studied the situation for a moment before going after the one that was closing in on Buffy's latest escape attempt. Distracted, Buffy was able to get past the demons and took off down the maze. "Buffy!" Kate tried to connect with the girl, but the wild look she saw in Buffy's eyes as Buffy ran past her told her it was useless. She spared one glance at the fight before sprinting after the girl.

Buffy ran at full speed. Kate was barely able to keep up with her. There was no thinking on Buffy's part, she never stopped at the intersections to consider her options. She was running on pure instinct. Kate was able to use that against her when she found herself at another dead end. Buffy turned and started running back the way she came, but this time Kate was ready for her. Instead of trying to get Buffy to stop she simply tackled the girl.

Buffy struggled weakly with her latest captor, but Kate managed to hold on to the girl, earning her some bumps and bruises but nothing like she thought the girl would be capable of. She was relieved when the girl's struggles stopped. She was able to pull herself into a sitting position, cradling Buffy like a child and rocking her slightly while she made soothing sounds. She realized the girl was fading into unconsciousness, and sure enough a few seconds later her eyes closed and she was limp. She continued rocking the obviously traumatized young woman, her eyes moving from wall to wall as she tried to think what to do next. A sound behind her made her shoot to her feet, protectively putting herself in front of the helpless girl.

"What do we have here?" a demon laughed as a small group advanced on them. "A slave trying to save the Slayer? And they said snacks weren't allowed." The group laughed as they advanced, not seeing any threat in front of them, even when Kate pulled out the small knife she had brought. The leader sneered as he advanced on the two women, only pulling up short when an axe head burst through his chest from behind.

"Anyone else feel like talking?" Faith asked as she burst onto the scene, the two vampires with her. The two groups quickly started fighting, forgetting about Kate and Buffy for the moment. Kate took the advantage, backing further into the dead end so they wouldn't accidentally get hit before examining her charge. She fought the urge to vomit as she saw the damage that had been done to this girl. Claw marks, scratches, even bite marks were visible everywhere Kate could see, and the rags the girl was wearing didn't cover much. Steeling herself, she turned the girl so she could see her back. At the sight, she did vomit, throwing up what little she had to eat that day. "Oh fuck," Faith said as she joined the ex-cop. She stood frozen, staring at the other Slayer's back.

Shredded. That was the first word that came to Kate's mind when she turned the girl over. There wasn't a single spot on her back that had skin still intact. She briefly wondered how the girl was even alive, let alone able to move, but quickly discarded that thought and was just grateful she was.

"We've got to move," Angel said as he approached the girls. Distantly Kate realized the demons were dead, but there were plenty more out there to take their place. Kate turned to face him, exposing the wounds to the vampires. They paled and looked like they were gonna be sick, but Spike moved first.

"Here," he said, taking off his duster and handing it to Kate. "Wrap her up in this." Kate quickly did. Buffy didn't even react at the jostling. Spike bent down and picked her up in his arms.

"We need to get back to the sewer," Angel said, looking at Spike as he held his former girlfriend but not saying anything. They nodded and took off, only to run into another group of demons at the next turn. Spike handed the precious bundle to Kate and threw himself into the fray. The fight was over in moments and they continued on their way.

They found another grate within minutes, but they couldn't get it open. The same thing with the next one. And the next. The next was surrounded with demons and they bypassed it, knowing they couldn't let the demons know where they went or they would never get out. They wandered around for hours searching for a way back into the sewers. Sometimes they would have a long stretch without any demons finding them, sometimes the demons were on them in hordes. Everyone had their own war wounds now, even Kate who gallantly took a blow that was meant for Buffy. Buffy would occasionally whimper and moan, but never regained consciousness.

"Here," Angel and Spike were finally able to pry one of the grates open. Spike took Buffy and jumped down, Faith following, while Angel helped Kate then followed. They had just gotten the grate closed again when some demons came walking by. They waited, expecting to be discovered with every step the demons took, but thankfully the demon walked right on passed the grate.

"We need to rest," Kate demanded after the group had moved a few feet away to get away from the grate.

"Five minutes," Angel gave them, sitting heavily next to Spike. The blonde vampire was cradling the Slayer like precious treasure. Kate pulled out some more water and blood, passing them around to the various members of the group.

"How is she?" Faith asked, sitting down across from them, taking a long drink.

"Pulse is weak," Spike answered wearily, "but she's still here. She's a fighter." Faith threw him the water bottle and they watched as he tried to trickle some water into Buffy's mouth, but it didn't look like any actually made it down. He sighed and tossed the bottle back to Kate. The five minutes passed quickly and soon everybody was climbing to their feet again.

"Which way is the way out?" Faith asked, stretching her tired muscles as best she could. The vampires sniffed the air before leading them slowly back the way they came. Their pace picked up as they recognized some marks they had made on the wall from earlier. They had just found the grate they had used to enter the maze when Buffy sprang awake. She screamed, the sound quickly aborted by Spike's hand going over her mouth.

"Did you hear something?" a passing demon asked above them. They stopped, staying in the shadows as much as possible, Buffy weakly fighting Spike's crushing grip.

"Probably just a bird," another demon dismissed. "There's no way someone hasn't found her yet. Claimed her as a prize."

"Haven't heard the horn," the first demon said hopefully. "That means the hunt is still on."

"Or maybe Azeroth just wants us to kill each other for his enjoyment. You saw that last group. There's no way the Slayer could do that." They didn't hear the response as the demons turned the corner and we're gone. Spike released his grip on Buffy, the Slayer rolling out of his arms, only to be caught by Faith before she could reach the ground.

"Not cool B," she said as she gently laid the struggling girl on the ground, "here he is being all chivalrous and you go and ruin the moment." She was trying to joke with her, but it was obvious Buffy wasn't comprehending what was going on around her. She just curled up into a ball. Kate quickly gathered the young woman up, slowly rocking her like she did before. She was surprised when Buffy didn't react to this motion.

"Is she out again?" Kate asked, unable to see Buffy's face from her position. Faith shook her head.

"No, but she's close." Kate nodded and continued to rock the cataleptic woman.

"You seem to have the magic touch," Spike commented, as they watched Buffy's half closed eyes finally close completely. Angel came over, holding out his arms.

"She's out," he told her, gently lifting Buffy into his arms. "We'll make better time if one of us carries her while she's out." Kate nodded, letting Spike help her to her feet. They made better time now, but it wasn't long before Azeroth realized Buffy wasn't in the Labyrinth and had the entire castle on alert.

They were extra careful, trying not to make a sound as they passed underneath the streets on top of them. Several times they stayed in the shadows as they heard the demons pulling up the grates and taking a quick look inside the sewer before dropping them again and moving on. Unfortunately it was usually at those times that Buffy regained partial consciousness. After the first time she woke up screaming they knew how to work with it though. As soon as she started stirring Kate would take her. Something about the older woman soothed her, and she would just lay there in a daze. Eventually the other three gave up trying to carry Buffy and Kate became her caretaker. Instead they focused on getting out of here as quickly as possible.

"Hold up," Angel paused as they finally neared the piles of dead bushes that marked the entrance to the sewers. They could here activity outside.

"You there," a demon asked roughly.

"Yes?" the same boy from before asked innocently. They could hear a murmur pass through the demons.

"Have you seen anything strange around here?" the demon asked, though not as harshly as before.

"Yes," the boy answered. "A strange group of outlanders were looking at the castle." Angel leaned forward and peered through the bushes. The boy was calmly talking to one of the demons. A Captain by the look of his armor, with an entire unit behind him. They were riding their equivalent of horses, making the group extremely deadly.

"Did you see where they went?" the Captain asked. The boy paused before raising a finger and pointing in the opposite direction they needed to go. With a roar the demons rode off, leaving nothing but dust in their wake. Once the dust settled the boy waved his fingers, causing the bushes to disappear once again.

"Did you help her?" he asked innocently as Angel pushed the grate open and stepped out.

"We are," he told him as he took Buffy from Kate's hands so she could get out. The boy gazed at the abused woman longingly before making the bushes reappear.

"There is not much time. Already they are tracking your progress through the city. Soon they will know you have left the city grounds. They will come in force."

"So we run," Spike said, holding his hand out for Kate. She frowned, but decided to shelve her pride and let the vampire carry her. There was no way she could keep up with them at a full run. The boy turned to her again.

"Once she leaves this world the Hartstone will collapse. If it is still inside her she will crumble along with it."

"What?" she asked, but didn't get a response as Spike, Angel, and Faith took off. Their speed was incredibly, even with the two burdens the vampires were carrying. The sight of trees whisking by made Kate slightly nauseous, so she closed her eyes and waited for the trip to be over. That was until she heard the sound of the horns behind them. "They're coming," she warned the group, risking a glance behind them.

"Know that love," Spike smirked, but where he found the energy at the speed they were going she didn't know.

"Are we fighting?" Faith called out next to them.

"Running," Angel called out from the front, putting on an extra burst of speed that the others matched. Kate closed her eyes again as her stomach threatened to heave. She could hear the demons on all sides of them. They were trying to flank them, cut off their escape, but they couldn't get in front. Frustrated they tried shooting arrows, but they didn't have a chance to aim properly and didn't even get close to the group.

"There," Spike said, changing course once he saw the slight distortion that signaled the portal. Angel and Faith followed. Angel didn't even slow down when he leapt through. "Go," Spike shouted and Faith put on a burst of speed and followed Angel. They were right behind them.

If they're entry into Hell was like being shot out of a cannon, returning to Earth was like skydiving. Only they forgot their parachute. They shot out of the portal at unbelievable speeds, unable to slow their momentum, and slammed into a wall a good twenty feet away. Spike twisted gallantly so he took the brunt of the force, but Kate knew she wouldn't be moving easily for a few days. "Close it!" Faith shouted from somewhere next to them and the witches did, but not before half a dozen demons made it through the portal after them. The group was ready and all the demons were dead before the light faded from the now closed portal.

"You okay pet?" Spike asked from his position between her and the wall. She nodded, before roughly pushing herself to her feet. Spike bounced up immediately after her and headed to where Angel was carefully laying Buffy on the ground.

"Oh God. Oh God." Joyce was chanting as she approached her daughter, Giles quickly on her heals. Kate took the opportunity to survey the room around her, seeing the carcasses from other demons that did not come through with them.

"How long?" she asked nobody. She suddenly swayed and would have fallen if Gunn hadn't been there to catch her.

"Ten minutes or so," he told her, helping her over to a chair. He handed her a bottle of water which she gratefully took, downing it all in one go. "The demons of this town really go crazy for portals." She was about to reply when something caught her eye.

"Giles!" Angel cried out. Buffy had started to convulse in his grasp, her eyes rolling up as her body shook uncontrollably.

"Hospital," Giles took charge immediately, but Kate knew better.

"No!" she told him, heading over to the group. "The kid said something about a Hartstone being inside her. Something about it collapsing and taking her with it. We need to get it out." Giles looked to Angel for confirmation. He nodded. Giles muttered a few words and a light shone underneath Buffy's convulsing form.

"Turn her over," Giles ordered, but Angel was already moving her. The light came from her back, through Spike's coat, directly over where her heart was. "Willow. Tara. I need a teleportation spell." The witches came over, their exhaustion gone with the seriousness of his voice.

"Where?" Willow asked as she and Tara knelt on either side of Buffy.

"We just need to get it out of her," the Watcher said, helping to hold his charge down while she bucked wildly beneath them. They nodded, joining hands and closing their eyes. They chanted softly before Willow opened her eyes.

"Remove!" she commanded and suddenly a light flashed bright. A small stone hovered in the air above Buffy before it disintegrated into dust. Buffy's convulsions stopped and Angel carefully gathered the girl into his chest, whispering soothing words like Kate did. The two witches fell back, even more exhausted than they were before, but they had satisfied smiles on their tired faces.

"Let's get her cleaned up shall we?"

"Wait," Spike protested, but Giles was already removing the coat she was wrapped up in. The shocked silence spread through the room, only disrupted when Joyce fainted to the ground.


	6. Chapter 6

Warnings and disclaimer in chapter 1. Enjoy.

* * *

"Mom?" Joyce groaned, opening her eyes only to see the concerned face of her daughter looking down on her. "Mom?" Dawn asked again when she got no response.

"Dawn?" Joyce forced out over a thick tongue. It felt like she hadn't drunk anything for days. She looked around, recognizing the too small sofa Anya picked out as her resting place, her feet dangling off the end. "What happened?" she asked as she pushed herself into a seating position.

"You kinda passed out," Dawn told her, moving to sit next to her mom. Sunlight streamed through the windows. Hadn't it been night before? "We were starting to worry, but Kate though it was mostly shock and we thought you would rather wake up here than in the hospital." She took a minute to breathe. "You are okay right? You don't need to go to the hospital?"

"I'm fine honey," she reassured her. "It was just a shock."

"Yeah," Dawn agreed. They had Buffy wrapped up again by the time the teenager made it over, but she could tell from the expressions around her that it was bad though.

"Where is everyone?" Joyce looked around the empty room. Even without their guests the room was never this empty.

"Mostly at the hospital," Dawn told her. Joyce paled.

"Is everyone okay?" she asked. Her attention had been focused solely on protecting her daughter. She wracked her brains but couldn't recall any injuries. That didn't mean there weren't any though.

"Nothing serious," Giles said as he entered the room. Tara was following close behind. Joyce looked up and caught his eye. She found herself frozen to the spot by his pained expression. He forced a smile on his face and turned to Dawn. "Xander tells me they finished your room last night. Why don't you and Tara go and decide how you want to decorate it?" Tara smiled tiredly behind him. Dawn rolled her eyes.

"Fine. Get the teenager out of the room so the adults can talk." She stomped up the stairs, Tara following silently behind her. Giles sighed before pulling the coffee table over, sitting directly in front of Joyce.

"Is it as bad as I remember?" Joyce asked breathlessly. She hoped Giles would shake his head, but that didn't happen.

"Yes," he told her, reaching for her hands in support. "Slayer healing is kicking in, but there's a lot of damage. We tried helping the best we could, but she woke up halfway through and wouldn't let any of us get near her." She reached up, cupping his rapidly swelling cheek. She knew he didn't have this bruise when the battle ended.

"She did this?" she asked. He avoided her gaze, unwilling to assign blame to the clearly traumatized girl, but unable to deny the evidence before her. Joyce understood. She knew Buffy would never willingly hurt the man she saw as a father. "I need to see her."

"Of course," he said, leading her not to the front door, but to the basement. He stopped on the stairs, turning to face her. She could hear a rhythmical thumping coming from the room ahead, but couldn't figure out what was causing it. "I need to warn you before you see her. She has undergone a very trying experience. She hasn't spoken since she has been back. She is different."

"She's still my daughter," Joyce said, bypassing him and entering the room. She was immediately drawn to the far side of the room to the cell Xander had carefully constructed to hold any dangerous creatures. Spike and Angel were hovering around bars, carefully avoiding the sunlight that was starting to streak through, while Willow sat on a chair near the thankfully still open door, her gaze never leaving the form inside. "No!" she whispered, before rushing over. "How could you put her in there?" she demanded, finding her voice again and promptly losing it when she finally saw her daughter.

Buffy was huddled in the corner, as small as she could get. The rhythmic thumping she could hear on the stairs turned out to be Buffy banging her head on the concrete wall behind her.

"Joyce," Spike warned as Joyce approached the bars. Willow looked up at her with tears in her eyes, but Joyce couldn't spare a second for the girl. "She's different. She's…" he struggled with a word to describe her condition.

"Feral," Angel finished for him. They turned to look at him, but he never moved his gaze from her.

"Oh God," Joyce whispered as she instinctively went to her daughter. The others tried to stop her, but caught up in their own feelings they were too late. "Buffy?" Joyce knelt down in front of her daughter. Buffy stilled, focusing intently on the form in front of her.

"Mommy?" she asked softly before collapsing forward. Joyce automatically grabbed her, gathering her up in her arms.

"I'm here," she repeated over and over again, rocking her gently. She felt tears form at the sight of her daughter's still mangled back, but refused to let them fall. Buffy needed her to be strong so she would be strong. She saw the signs the others had tried to help clean her wounds, and threw them a pointed look. Spike recognized it first, slowly entering the cell with bandages, disinfectant, and water, but Buffy tensed as soon as he crossed the threshold and he wisely backed away.

"Let me try," Giles said softly, taking the supplies from the vampire's hands and slowly approaching the pair. Buffy didn't acknowledge him at all, which he took as a sign to go ahead. She hissed when the water hit her still open wounds, but made no move to stop him. He cleaned her up quickly, then stopped, realizing a bandage for her entire back would be impossible.

"Here," Spike said, holding out one of his button down shirts. "It's clean."

"Thanks," Joyce said as Giles grabbed the garment and laid it over the pile of blankets that was serving as an impromptu mattress. He grabbed the rags that barely covered her and gently pulled them off. Joyce winced at the numerous wounds the rags hid, but continued to gently rock her daughter, occasionally turning her so Giles could clean and bandage another wound. When he was done they quickly dressed her in Spike's shirt, buttoning it up only enough to cover her. Then Giles turned his attention to her legs.

"Good Lord," he cursed softly as he began cleaning the blood of her legs so he could see the skin beneath. The water had already been changed twice, but was quickly turning murky again. He had already cleaned and bandaged any wounds he could see on her lower legs, and was working on her upper legs when he noticed the dried blood on the inside of her thighs. He looked up at Joyce in dismay. She met his gaze in horror.

"Is she?" she asked, unable to get the sentence out. "Was she?" Her tears were finally falling. Buffy simply stared straight ahead. Not noticing or simply not being able to react to the distress around her.

"I don't know," he admitted, returning to his task. He searched for a wound that would explain all the blood he found, clenching his hands tightly when he couldn't find any. He moved farther up, his hands shaking as he cleaned blood from the most delicate parts of her body. He searched her face carefully for any sign of distress, but she simply stared forward. He quickly finished his grisly task and pulled Spike's shirt down to cover her. The shirt was so big on her small frame it fell to her knees. "I'm sorry," he told Joyce simply, his own tears shining in his eyes.

"What do we do?" she asked, stopping her rocking momentarily. Buffy's head shot up and she immediately started to struggle. Joyce started rocking again, but this time it had no effect. Giles came to help her, and was rewarded with a kick that sent him stumbling back. "Buffy," Joyce admonished automatically. Buffy stilled momentarily before curling up and rocking against her mother's body.

"She need's sleep," Giles said, slowly getting to his feet to not spook the young woman. Joyce nodded, pulling them toward the pile of blankets. She rolled Buffy onto her side and spooned behind her, careful not to touch the mess that was her back. Buffy tensed before seemingly easing into the new position. She pulled her legs up and curled into a ball. She started banging her head again, this time against the pile of blankets beneath her. Joyce sighed and snaked an arm under her daughter's head. She winced when Buffy continued her banging, but knew it was a small price to pay to help her daughter. "Joyce?" Giles asked softly.

"It's okay," she reassured him. She heard a commotion upstairs and knew the others were back from the hospital, but she couldn't leave her baby. Willow raced up the stairs in her stead, and soon the din quieted down. Slowly Buffy's movements stilled, the head banging coming fewer and fewer. She could tell when her daughter fell asleep, her body completely relaxed for one brief second. She carefully drew her hand back, replacing it with a pillow, when she felt her daughter tense. "Nightmares," she told Giles as he reached out his hand to help her up.

"They are to be expected," he told her, guiding her past the door and into some waiting chairs. She realized the vampires had retreated to their own room to avoid the sunlight and made a mental note to get that taken care of immediately.

"We can't leave her," she argued.

"If we stay she will hurt us," he said and she looked at his face again. "She won't mean to and will hate herself later, but right now she is acting on instinct. And instinct is telling her to lash out. We'll stay close," he compromised, "ready to help in any way we can." Joyce nodded and settled into the uncomfortable chair for a very long day.

* * *

"Ms. Summers?" Joyce looked up at the timid voice. Faith was standing a few feet away from her. Joyce quickly wiped the tears from her face.

"Faith," she said as hospitably as she could, but the long day was finally catching up to her. "I thought you were going out on a patrol?" Faith shrugged.

"I will," she told the other woman, "eventually. Don't really feel the need for violence anymore. Guess the slammer was good for something." Joyce nodded, her eyes drawn back to her daughter with a quiet whimper. "May I?" she asked, pointing to the chair next to her. Joyce nodded and continued her vigil.

Joyce had refused to leave her daughter. Despite their warnings, she had even attempted to comfort her during her nightmares. The blossoming black eye was her reward, but the physical pain was nothing to her emotional pain. She felt like her heart was ripped out with every whimper and cry her daughter made. Her daughter was in pain. Pain that she caused.

Everybody tried to help in their own way. Giles spent time with them before helping Wesley research the Hartstone. He even reappeared every hour or so just to check on them. The Scoobies and the AI gang were doing all they could to make the house livable between research sessions. Joyce could hear them upstairs, doing God knows what to her new house, but every time she got up to check on them her daughter would whimper and she would sit back down.

Every so often someone would come down and sit with her for a few minutes, lending their strength in silent support. Dawn brought her down a sandwich for lunch and stayed for an hour, cuddling with her mother while they watched Buffy struggle. Buffy, for the most part, slept throughout the day, but it was never peaceful. The few times she did wake up, she fought everybody that came near her until her mother was able to get through to her. Everyone wondered why that was, but Joyce didn't care. She was able to comfort her daughter and that was enough for her.

"I'm sorry." Faith's quiet voice broke through her thoughts. Quiet and Faith were not two things that usually went together so she actually forgot the other girl was there.

"What?" she asked, turning to the other Slayer. Faith was staring at her counterpoint.

"I know you probably don't believe me," she said, turning to face the older woman, "but I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what I put you and your family through. I know I can never make it right but I promise to try. I know you can never forgive me, but I just wanted you to know."

"Faith," she regarded the dark Slayer cautiously. "Why did you do it?"

"I was jealous," she admitted for the first time. She stood and started to pace slowly. "You know, when I was Called it was probably the best thing that ever happened to me. My home life sucked. My mom was a drunk, stoned bitch that banged anything that would take her. My dad was a drunk, abusive asshole who thought I was the reason for all their problems. Neglect was the best thing my parents ever gave me. Diana changed that."

"Diana?" Joyce asked, intrigued by this rare glimpse at the person behind the Slayer.

"My Watcher," Faith said. "When I was called she took me in. I don't know how she got me away from my parents, quite frankly I didn't care, but she showed me that people could be kind. She was there for me, whatever I needed. Then she wasn't."

"That wasn't your fault Faith," Joyce said, reaching out for the girl. She was surprised when Faith stopped in front of her.

"This isn't yours either," she said, gently, motioning behind her to where her daughter lay. "When she died my world crumpled again. I had heard about Buffy, but just in passing. I was scared and alone and thought she would be the answer. So I came. And what I saw amazed me, but not in the good way.

"You see, I was never really rebellious with Diana, not in the way I was here. She saved my life and I promised her I would do everything to make that worthwhile. She said Slayers didn't stay with their families. I was fine with that. She said Slayers didn't go to school. More than fine with that. She said Slayers didn't have friends, they worked alone. That one was the hardest, but then my friends weren't exactly close. A couple of stoners who didn't even notice I was gone. So I was fine with that one too. I did everything Diana asked of me. Trained, patrolled, trained, patrolled. I even tried to read one of the books she told me to read. Points for trying right? Have you seen the books these Watchers have? That's some heavy shit. Literally."

"Yeah," Joyce smiled softly, "I've had to wade my way through one or two of them myself."

"Anyway," Faith continued her story, "here I was. Scared shitless but trying to act all cool because Slayers are never scared, trying to find the one person who could help me and when I find her, I find that she has taken all the rules that I was trying to live by and thrown them out the window. And she was thriving. She had all the things I always secretly wanted but never thought I could have, first by circumstances then by destiny. And to make matters worse, not only does she save me, she convinces me to save myself. How perfect can you get?"

"Buffy is far from perfect," Joyce said. She turned to the other Slayer. "You know what your problem is Faith?"

"Besides the usual?" Faith smirked, but it lacked the psychopath feeling it usually had.

"You're only seeing half the story," Joyce told her. "Everyone here only sees half the story. There's always two sides. A before and after, but all everyone sees is the after. You didn't see the before. Before Sunnydale, when she was Called. She lost all of her friends. She was kicked out of school. Her father left, which wasn't her fault, but some of our last arguments were about her and her troubles. Her Watcher died. And when she finally had too much, when she finally came to me for help, I had her committed."

"What?" Faith asked, shocked beyond words. Joyce nodded slowly.

"You see Faith, you two aren't so different. You both lost everything when you were Called. The difference is she refused to stay down. She refused to let them run her life. So if you want to be jealous of her, that's fine. But be jealous of what she did, not what she has."

"Deep thoughts Ms. Summers," Faith said as Buffy whimpered again, tossing a bit in the grip of whatever nightmare she was in. "May I?" she asked. Joyce nodded. Faith entered the cell hesitantly, but soon was next to the other Slayer. Joyce was standing right behind her. "Buffy," Faith called softly, putting a hand on her shoulder. Buffy's eyes sprang open, her fist instinctively flying. Faith caught her fist midair, releasing it as soon as Buffy started scooting backwards.

"Buffy," Joyce called soothingly, reaching out cautiously but careful to stay out of range. Buffy stared intently between them before pulling herself into a ball and letting her mother cradle her in her arms.

"I'll leave you two alone," Faith said, once she was sure Buffy wasn't going to attack.

"Faith," Joyce called out, stopping the other Slayer. "You're making amends right now, trying to do the right thing. You helped rescue my daughter from Hell, and for that I can't thank you enough. For what it's worth I forgive you. But, I can never forget what you've done."

"I can live with that," she smiled. "You're exhausted. Do you want me to send somebody down to spell you?" Joyce looked down at her daughter, who was sleeping peacefully in her arms.

"Not yet," she said, even as she felt sleep pulling her down too. "Just a little while longer."

* * *

"Joyce." Joyce opened her eyes slowly. She looked around the cell, temporarily forgetting why she spent the night here. She tried to move, but a heavy weight was pushing her down. It all came back to her when she saw Buffy still sleeping in her lap.

"What time is it?" she asked still half asleep. She winced as her body reminded her it didn't like sleeping upright and preferred a bed.

"Either very early," Giles said, taking a seat next to the bars, "or very late depending on how you look at it." She stretched her muscles as much as she could, unwilling to disturb her daughter.

"Did you find something?" she asked, pointing to the book he loosely held in his hand. Giles nodded.

"Wesley and I have been researching the Hartstone," he told her. "Unfortunately what we have discovered is not good news."

"What did you find out?" Joyce asked, her fingers unconsciously brushing through her daughter's hair.

"The Hartstone is a precursor to the fountain of youth tales. It was first documented around 1500 B.C. A sorcerer offered eternal youth and beauty in exchange for a person's soul. The Hartstone literally freezes the aging process, leaving the person exactly the same as they were when it was administered. What the sorcerer failed to mention was that the Hartstone also froze a person's emotions, which led to insanity. Many victims literally clawed out their own hearts in an effort to feel something again. It's also possibly where the expression turning your heart to stone also originated from."

"But that's not going to happen, right?" Joyce asked, desperate to spare her daughter more pain.

"I don't believe so," Giles reassured her. "I doubt Buffy would make any sort of deal if the cost was her soul. More than likely the Hartstone was forced upon her so Azeroth could torture her without worrying about killing her. But it does bring up a rather horrifying point. She was gone just over two weeks here, but time in demon dimensions runs differently. She hasn't aged so I assumed the dimension she was in ran close to ours. But factor in the Hartstone and it's possible she could have been imprisoned…"

"Years," Joyce said quietly, looking at her daughter. "Is there any way to know?" Giles shook his head.

"I'm afraid not. Wesley is researching any ritual related to Azeroth that would require a willing sacrifice, but that's not much to go on. We still don't have any idea why she was taken or even if she was targeted or just a random victim."

"Is anything random in Sunnydale?" Joyce asked rhetorically. She continued running her fingers through Buffy's hair, hoping the action was giving her daughter some comfort, when she noticed something. Worried eyes shot over to Giles. "Rupert. She's warm."

"Infection?" he thought out loud. He grabbed some alcohol and fresh gauze and slowly entered the cell. Buffy tensed, but again didn't try to leave her mother's embrace. "The smaller wounds are practically gone," he said, as he checked over her. "The larger ones are healing nicely," he said as he pulled back the gauze in a few places. He quickly cleaned and redressed those wounds. "They are healing as I would expect them to with Slayer healing powers."

"Her back?" Joyce asked almost fearfully. Giles took a deep breath.

"Can you shift her?" he asked. Joyce nodded, gently moving Buffy until her head rested against her mother's shoulder. Giles carefully lifted the shirt off her back.

"It's not as bad as it was," he admitted, knowing Joyce was watching his face carefully, "but it's not as healed as I would like. But there is no obvious sign of infection. If you can hold the shirt up I will clean it again." Joyce nodded and between the two of them they managed to clean and dress Buffy again. Once they were done Giles lay a gentle hand on her brow, frowning at her raised temperature.

"If there's no infection what's causing her fever?" Giles frowned.

"I don't know," he admitted, "it's possible her body is reacting to the removal of the Hartstone. The Harstone's magic has kept her alive and unchanged for who knows how many years. With its removal her body suddenly must take over that task again. There very well could be difficulties remembering what to do."

"So we let it run its course?" Joyce asked. "Can't the Council help in any way?"

"I've called them. They are looking into it." She sighed.

"I hate this. I hate not being able to help." Giles smiled.

"It appears that you are the only person able to help right now," he reminded her.

"And you," she pointed out. "So how do we help?"

"Water," he said, reaching through the bars to some bottles of water that were kept there. Joyce nodded, maneuvering Buffy so that her back was against her mother's chest. She cringed at the position, but since Buffy didn't react she figured her daughter was fine for the moment. Giles passed the water bottle over. Joyce opened it and took a long draught before holding it to her daughter's lips.

"Buffy," she ordered, "you need to drink." Buffy protested weakly but Joyce was able to force a couple sips into her mouth before she refused more. "What else?" she asked Giles as she handed him back the bottle.

"Sleep," he told her. "You will do nobody any good it you're dead on your feet."

"Is she asleep?" she asked, not able to see her daughter's face from this new position.

"She's awake," Giles relented, "but content."

"Then I'm not going anywhere."

"At least lay down on the blankets," Giles told her. "Perhaps you can get her back to sleep. Sleep will be the best thing for both of you." Joyce nodded, and with a little shuffling, soon found herself laying on the blankets, cuddling with her daughter again. Sleep pulled at her and soon she found she couldn't keep her eyes open. As she drifted off her one hope was that Buffy was doing the same.


	7. Chapter 7

Warnings and disclaimer in Chapter 1. Enjoy.

* * *

She awoke to sunlight streaming from the window. Yawning, she stretched out her tired muscles. Sleepiness turned to panic when there wasn't a body lying next to her. "She's okay," Xander said, reading her expression. He pointed to the far corner. Again Buffy had curled up into a ball and retreated there, softly banging her head against the wall, but nothing like she had the first night.

"How long?" she asked, slowly getting to her feet and leaving the cell. Xander shrugged.

"A couple hours." He handed her a cup of coffee, which she gratefully took. "I never thought this would be the first room we really used in this house," he said while she took a sip of the hot beverage.

"It's the one room I hoped we never would have to use," Joyce countered, before looking around. "Where is everyone?"

"Spike decided to spend the day in his crypt while Angel is next door in the sun proof room." Xander paused, thinking hard about something before speaking again. "You know, everybody else is making a lot of decisions about this house. Decisions you should be making."

"You think I'm concerned about the house right now Xander?" Joyce asked disbelievingly. He shook his head.

"No, but it does make a good distraction," he told her. "Right now there's so many things that we can't do anything about. And here's one big thing that we can."

"What are you saying Xander?" she asked tiredly.

"Get out of this basement," he said simply. "Live your life, even if it's just for a few hours." Joyce shook her head.

"I can't leave her," she said, looking back at her daughter.

"She won't be alone," he countered. "And she'll kill you if she realizes you're neglecting either Dawn or yourself."

"You're right," Joyce admitted, "it's just so hard. I know it's not my fault, but that doesn't stop me from feeling guilty. I just don't know how I can help."

"I do," Xander said. "Go upstairs and convince Anya that you do not want your room painted hot pink with fluorescent yellow stripes. If you do this you're doing everyone a favor." At this Joyce finally laughed, even though she wasn't entirely sure that he was joking. She pulled him into a hug, holding him close.

"You're a good man Alexander Harris." He blushed.

"Well I finally have a good role model." She let go and he returned to his chair by the cell door. She slowly ascended the steps. The difference in the house from just a few days ago is amazing. The girls had obviously been shopping as both the dining room and living room were completely furnished, this time with furniture big enough for the entire group. Also the kitchen was completely stocked, both in cookware and utensils as well as foodstuffs. The folding tables and chairs were relocated to the library, where all the boxes of books migrated to as well. Giles was at one of the tables, books scattered around him, fast asleep. She decided to let him sleep.

She headed up to the second floor of the house. She was shocked at all the progress that had been made here. All the guest rooms, Xander and Anya's room, and Willow and Tara's room had all been painted and carpeted. Inside these rooms Joyce could see several bags of bedding. Mattresses were piled up in one room, with the frames waiting to be built in another. Smaller furnishing were also located throughout the rooms. She could hear laughter coming from Dawn's room and walked in just as they finished painting.

"Do you like it?" Dawn asked when she saw her mother. "It's called 'Passion Purple'."

"It's very nice," Joyce said in approval of the light lavender color Dawn had chosen. Willow and Tara came over to join the women, while Gunn, Cordy and Fred started cleaning up the painting supplies.

"We're doing Giles's room next," Willow told her. "He choose a neutral brown for his walls."

"We were planning a lighter beige color for you," Tara told her, holding out the paint swab they were thinking. "But it's not too late to change it if you don't like it." Joyce shook her head.

"Light beige is perfect Tara. Thank you." Tara blushed, smiling shyly before following Willow out of the room, leaving mother and daughter.

"That would just leave Buffy's room," Dawn said uncomfortably. "Willow suggested something light and cheery so Anya suggested sunshine yellow. I think she's taking it too literally."

"Dawn," Joyce interrupted. "Are you okay?" Dawn nodded, only to break down and fall into her mother's arms a minute later. "It's okay," she started the same reassurances she gave her older daughter just hours ago. Dawn slowly calmed down. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know if I can do this," Dawn admitted slowly.

"The painting looks fine," her mother told her. Dawn smiled.

"Not that," she said, pulling away and looking her mother in the eyes. "The Slaying. All I ever wanted to do was help with the Slaying. And when I finally was allowed to help, all I could think was I was so scared. And I really didn't do anything."

"Oh Dawn," she said, brushing back her long brown hair with her fingers. "You never have to do anything you don't want to do. No one is going to force you to join in the Slaying, especially if you don't think you're ready."

"But I want to help," Dawn protested. "I'm just not sure I really want to do the physical fighting."

"Then you can help research," Joyce smiled, "just like we agreed. And for the record, what you did the other night. I am so proud of you."

"Thanks," Dawn said, dragging her mother out into the hall. "So Xander said if we were able to get the rest of the rooms painted we could get the carpet in the morning and start moving stuff in tomorrow night. Of course we need to start ordering furniture, since that usually takes a few days to get here, especially since we've pretty much cleaned out all the local stores."

"I'm sure we can arrange something," she said, suddenly determined to spend the rest of the day with Dawn. She helped them paint both her room and Giles's room, but bowed out of painting Buffy's on the pretense of making lunch for everyone. Sometime during the early afternoon Xander and Willow traded places. Xander kidnapped Gunn and the two guys spend the day moving in bookcases and assembling tables and chairs for the library, under the careful guidance of Giles. Cordelia once again proved she was the shopping queen, taking the Summers women out after lunch.

"I can't believe how much we accomplished," Joyce said hours later as she made dinner for everybody. Tara and Cordy were in the kitchen with her, Tara helping while Cordy just talked. The library was finished. The only room left to furnish on the main floor was their little hospital room, which was waiting for special equipment. With the first floor finished, the group turned their attention to the upstairs bedrooms.

"I can't wait to sleep in a real bed tonight," Cordy groaned in appreciation. "Not that you haven't been super helpful and all that."

"I know the feeling," Joyce told her, almost sighing at the thought. She and Tara moved the food to the dining table, Cordy finally being helpful and setting out plates and cutlery.

"I'll go round everybody up," Dawn said, appearing suddenly in the room. Within minutes everyone was gathered in the large dining room.

"This is amazing Ms. Summers," Gunn complemented as he wolfed down his food. He looked over as Faith emerged from the basement. She marched over, grabbed a plate and began eating with gusto.

"Faith," she admonished the girl's table manners.

"Sorry," Faith responded, taking her empty plate and rinsing it off in the sink. "Apparently I'm not as Zen as I thought I was. Watching B pace around all day has given me a serious need to move. Patrol is calling." With that she was out the door. Joyce looked at the basement door wistfully.

"Go," Dawn said, knowing her mom really wanted to check on Buffy. She was surprised they were able to keep her away all day. She threw Dawn a grateful smile before heading down the stairs.

"How is she?" she asked Giles when he stood up at her arrival.

"Her wounds are healing nicely," he told her, "what little of them I am able to see. She doesn't let anyone near her."

"She soiled herself?" she asked, smelling the stale stench of urine.

"Yes," Giles reluctantly admitted. She walked passed him to the cage where she could see her daughter was again against the corner, only this time she was watching everything going on around her carefully. She could see the soiled blankets and see remnants on the shirt she wore.

"Giles, can you go get some clean clothing for Buffy please," she asked as she moved toward the cell. Giles hesitated. "Please."

"I'll be right back," he said as he quickly left the room. Joyce slowly entered the cell, stopping just inside the door when Buffy snarled at her.

"Buffy," she admonished in her mom tone. Buffy quieted, leaning toward her unconsciously.

"Mom?" she asked quietly, reaching out slowly. Joyce copied the actions and soon she was gently pulling her daughter from the corner. "Is this real?" she asked.

"Yes," she said, gently hugging her daughter before slowly leading her from the cell. "Let's get you cleaned up." Buffy could only look at her, but Joyce took this as an okay. She slowly led her daughter to the downstairs bathroom, grateful when Xander insisted it should have a shower as well as a toilet. "Here we go. Do you need to use the bathroom?" Buffy looked at her in confusion so instead of waiting for an answer Joyce gently pushed Buffy down until she was sitting on the toilet. "Do you remember this at all?" she asked.

"Mommy?" Buffy replied her focus constantly on her mother.

"It's okay honey," Joyce said carefully, refusing to break her daughter's gaze. "I'm here. It will be okay." Only when Buffy broke the staring contest did Joyce let her eyes tear over. She blinked quickly, refusing to let them fall when Buffy needed her so much. Buffy might have forgotten what a bathroom was for, but her body certainly didn't. Within moments her bladder released, letting the urine pour into the bowl. Joyce looked up at the sound, but Buffy herself didn't seem to realize what was happening. She was looking around the room curiously.

Joyce turned to the shower, giving her daughter as much privacy as she could, and began working the dials to get the temperature right. When the water was right she turned back around. Buffy was watching her intently, but made no move to clean herself. Joyce quickly did the task. "Here we go. All done," she talked to her daughter as she pulled Buffy to her feet, took a few steps forward and flushed. Buffy jumped at the unexpected sound, but Joyce was able to calm her quickly." How about a nice warm shower now?" Buffy looked at her in confusion. This sigh Joyce couldn't contain. "I'll be right back," she said, racing out of the bathroom and grabbing several of the large, fluffy towels someone purchased. Giles had returned with some clothes for Buffy as well as an outfit for her.

"I had a hunch," he said, as he gathered up the soiled blankets. She smiled as she grabbed both sets of clothes and reentered the small bathroom. Buffy was where she left her, looking at the flowing water in trepidation.

"Here honey," she said, moving in front of Buffy and gaining her focus again. She quickly stripped off her own clothes before carefully removing the shirt that covered her daughter. Buffy stood there unconcerned about her nudity, simply watching her mother. "Are you ready for a shower?" she asked, grabbing her daughter's hands and leading her into the alcove. She stepped under the spray and felt Buffy tense as the first drops hit their entwined hands. "It's okay. I'm right here," she started again and soon Buffy was standing underneath the spray. She tensed as the water poured down around her, but soon was smiling at her mother. A genuine smile that caused Joyce to reciprocate.

"Does that feel good?" she asked, as she reluctantly pulled Buffy out of the spray. Buffy let herself be led, again her gaze never leaving her mother. "Wait until you try this," she said, reaching for the shampoo on the shelf. "I'm not sure who's this is but I'm sure they won't mind," she said as she massaged the lather into her daughter's hair. Buffy stood there, smiling at the sensations she was experiencing, letting her mother lead her, closing her eyes when told so the soapy water wouldn't run into them. She wasn't an active participant in the activity, instead following her mother's lead as she had since she returned. After shampooing several times Joyce finally decided her daughter's hair was clean and moved on to her body. She lathered a washcloth as best she could before gently rubbing it up her daughter's arms.

"Is this okay?" she checked as the cloth went over tender skin. Buffy didn't say anything, just continued to smile at her mother. Joyce went carefully, cleaning every inch of skin she could find. She hesitated at her back, wincing at the still mangled sight, but she thought it was looking much better than she thought it should. Slayer healing had evidently started catching up there, and she knew within a few days the only evidence of her ordeal would be a few light scars. She searched her daughter's face carefully for any sign of discomfort there and when she reached the delicate area between her legs, but Buffy continued to stare at her mother with that lazy grin. She finished the task quickly, letting her daughter stand under the spray for another minute, before she turned the water off.

"Mommy?" Buffy asked, the smile leaving her face as quickly as the water shut off. She looked accusingly at her mother, and Joyce almost relented and turned the shower back on. Instead she just grabbed her daughter's hands once more.

"It's okay baby," she told her as she led her out of the stall. She wrapped her in one of the towels before sitting her on the now closed toilet lid. She quickly dried and clothed herself before helping her daughter do the same. Giles had chosen a simple outfit for the girl, sweatpants and a T-Shirt Buffy would have never been caught dead in, but was easy to get on and off. A few minutes later she led her daughter out of the small bathroom and back to the cell, where she was happy to see the boys had replaced the pile of blankets with an actual mattress.

"How did it go?" Giles asked as he put down his book and slowly headed to the women. Buffy tensed but let her mother guide her to the mattress and sink down on it.

"Good," Joyce said as Buffy once again curled into her mother's embrace. Giles joined them, carefully placing his hand on Buffy's shoulder. She tensed, but allowed the contact. Joyce looked up and saw Angel standing in the corners, watching the interaction closely. Giles reached behind him, grabbing a bottle of water and bringing it forward.

"Buffy," he began quietly, "do you…"

"No!" she screamed, pushing him away violently before doing the same thing to Joyce. Angel was there in seconds, helping the stunned people to their feet. "No!" she continued to scream as she went after Giles, Angel barely able to keep her from killing the man. Eventually she retreated back to the corner, banging her head harshly against the wall as she kept up her mantra.

"Buffy," Joyce moved slowly toward the frightened girl as she tried to connect with her daughter. Her only response was a swift kick right where her face would have been if Angel hadn't pulled her back.

"Don't" he cautioned them, as he pulled them out of the cell. They collapsed on the chairs waiting next to the bars.

"What happened?" she asked, watching as her daughter began pacing the far side of the cell.

"It's my fault," Angel told them. "I should have warned you. The ritual Azeroth was trying to get her to complete started that way."

"Do you…" Giles started, only to jump back when Buffy launched herself at him. Angel again fought her off, before they realized they needed to close the door for everyone's safety. "Joyce?" Giles asked as he reached for the mechanism that would lock the door securely. She nodded. Buffy howled as the escape to her prison disappeared.

"Buffy," Joyce tried again, only to have her daughter throw herself at the bars in front of her mother.

"She's gone right now," Angel told them, having experienced this first hand. "She'll come back though. She just needs time."

"I hope your right," Joyce said, watching her daughter as she proceeded to destroy everything she could in the cell. The blankets were soon a pile of rags and she was working on the mattress when a sudden cry rang out upstairs. "Cordelia," Angel gasped as he raced upstairs. Giles and Joyce looked at each other before following.

Cordelia was on the floor in the living room, being held by Angel. "What did you see?" Wesley was asking, while Angel was helping Cordy to her feet.

"The same vision," Cordy said, "Faith in the library fighting demons. Why would they send that again? We're here aren't we?"

"Maybe what we are trying to stop is getting ready to start," Gunn said. "Maybe we're here for more than rescuing Buffy."

"Maybe," Wesley conceded. He opened his mouth to say more when an unholy scream of pain could be heard from the basement.

"Buffy," Angel whispered before racing back to the basement, the rest of the group behind him. Buffy was lying face down on the mattress, screaming in pain, but the sight that caught everyone's attention was her back. It shone like it was on fire, leaving the writhing girl little more to do than scream. Minutes passed like hours. There was nothing anyone could do but watch until suddenly the light faded. Buffy gasped, her body shaking from the pain and her eyes unfocused, gazing at nothing. "Open the door," Angel ordered.

"Buffy," Joyce rushed in as soon as the door was open. She fell to her knees at her daughter's head, reaching out to grab one of her still trembling hands with one hand while petting her face with the other. Buffy grabbed onto the hand like a lifeline, not caring who she was seeking comfort from. Giles and Angel entered at a more cautious pace, focusing on her back. The T-Shirt Giles picked for her was originally white, though the back was now charred and blackened. Angel gave it a quick tug, tearing it down the middle.

"Dear Lord," Giles started, seeing the damage to the still healing skin. A new mark had appeared, a mark that looked like it had been branded into her skin by holding the branding iron to the sensitive flesh for hours. "Willow," he indicated the first aid kit. The witch quickly passed over the kit, looking pale at the damage they all could see. Giles quickly cleaned the burn, pouring burn gel over the angry skin before covering it with gauze. He looked queasy. He doubted even Slayer healing could completely erase a burn that deep.

"We should get upstairs," Wesley proclaimed as he got his first good look at the mark. "We have research we need to do."

"What?" Gunn asked. "I thought we covered all the leads we had."

"We did," he told the group, "but a new lead was just handed to us. That mark is from an ancient demonic language. It means 'War'."

"It was in my vision too," Cordy spoke up quietly. "Just flashes of it. Never enough to get a good enough look to identify it. Until now."

"So war is coming to Sunnydale and that is what we're here to stop," Gunn asked. Everybody looked stoically at him. "Is this a typical Tuesday night here? Can I get any reaction at all?" Giles sighed.

"Wesley is right. We need to research." Everybody nodded and began filing up the stairs. He turned to Joyce.

"I'm not leaving," she told him, answering his unasked question. Her daughter was still trembling beneath her fingers. She knew she wouldn't be leaving for a while.

"Me neither," Dawn surprised both of them, grabbing one of the seats and refusing to move. Giles relented quickly.

"Just remember she is dangerous," he reminded Joyce. She nodded her head, the scene from earlier playing out in her memories. "If you need us just yell."

"What we need are some answers," she said honestly. The older man could only nod as he made his way up the stairs. She turned her attention to Buffy, preparing herself for another long night in this cell.


	8. Chapter 8

Warnings and disclaimer in Chapter 1. Enjoy.

* * *

Wesley had just finished dividing up the relevant texts when Faith burst through the doors. Spike followed her into the room, along with another person they didn't recognize. "So the strangest thing just happened when I was on patrol," she told the group, hoping up onto one of the newly made tables and putting her feet on the chair. "Here I was, going through a cemetery, when I see Spikey here staking a couple of vamps. I go lend a hand and he tells me he's already cleared the other cemeteries that I was heading to. We get to talking, just strolling through the cemetery, killing anything that tries to kill us when suddenly I get an itch.

"Now, seeing as I'm trying to do the right thing and be a good little Slayer, I decide to follow my instinct. Spike decides to come with and we end up back at the library. Everything's nice and quiet, nothing that causes alarm when suddenly the Hellmouth lights up like it's on fire."

"Like the gates of Hell themselves were opening," Spike spoke up from the doorway.

"So we go check it out and suddenly the room is surrounded by a circle of fire. At four points circling the Hellmouth flames start shooting off that's as bright as any I'd ever seen. Light starts shooting out, converging on the spot above the Hellmouth where our portal was."

"Sounds like another portal was opening," Anya said knowingly.

"Yeah," Faith continued, "but it wasn't like the one we opened. Anyway the lights met on the spot where our portal was and started forming a symbol."

"Was it this?" Wesley asked, hastily sketching out the symbol that was burned onto Buffy's back.

"That's the one. So anyway, the room started getting hot, like stuck inside a fire hot, when suddenly a portal does open and out steps this hottie. Like I didn't know whether to kill him or bang him. He unfortunately sees us and shoots a fireball at us, straight from his hand. We dodge and he's about to shoot another one at us when the dweeb here falls out of the portal, knocking him to the ground. He says run and we follow."

"We brought him back with us," Spike continued, "Didn't want the little lost boy out on his own in this big bag world."

"You came from another dimension," Giles asked, studying their guest intently. He nodded. "Why?"

"I'm trying to help," he said in a raspy voice. He was breathing hard, clearly not used to the fast pace Faith and Spike must have set. Giles turned to Faith.

"How long ago was this," he asked, though he thought he already knew the answer.

"Thirty minutes," she shrugged, "give or take."

"You don't think Azeroth?" Wesley began.

"I don't think he's done using Buffy," the older Watcher said gravely. "Whatever his plans were, we didn't stop them. We interrupted them. Now he's here to finish."

"One problem," Faith spoke up. "Whatever came through that portal wasn't Azeroth."

"No," Wesley agreed. "He'd send an emissary first. Make sure it was safe before he came himself." He turned to their guest. "Are you an emissary of Azeroth?"

"No," the young man shook his head, "but I am from his dimension. You were right Watcher. You interrupted what he started. And he's determined to finish."

"What's his goal?" Giles asked.

"The end of the world. He's gotten bored with ruling his Hell and seeks a new challenge. Your world is the challenge he's looking for."

"How does he plan on destroying our world?" Giles asked.

"He is summoning the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. They will decimate this world until it is safe for him to come and finish the extinction of your race." There was silence in the room as everyone took in what was just said.

"Why does he need Buffy?" Giles asked, clenching his fists in anger.

"The world has changed so much it is not safe for true demons. His chosen Horsemen needed to bind themselves to one from your world in order to survive."

"The ritual?" Wesley asked.

"A Bloodsharing ritual," he explained. "A sacrifice that willingly shares their blood creates a bond between the two parties. Azeroth hopes to use this bond to help ensure his Horsemen withstand the poison of this world long enough to sanctify it." He looked at the group sympathetically. "The ritual was completed three times. You interrupted the fourth."

"So we still have time," Wesley pointed out. "Which leaves only one question. Why are you helping us?"

"I'm trying to help her," he said simply. Kate gasped and covered her mouth with her hands.

"It can't be," she said, moving closer to the young man.

"Kate," Angel warned. "Don't get to close. He's a demon."

"I know," she said, tracing his face with her hands, "but he was also once a little boy who helped us rescue a girl."

"What?" Angel and Spike both gasped as they got closer to the young man. He smiled.

"You haven't changed a bit," he told the detective.

"You have," she challenged. He shrugged.

"Time moves faster where I'm from." He looked between her, the vampires, and the Slayer. "I'm glad you made it out alright, but I'm afraid you might have just brought more destruction down on your world. It has been a long time since anyone defied Azeroth, and he is not happy. He was content to simply rule your world, but now I fear he may destroy it completely."

"He'll have to get past us first," Faith said flippantly, "which is not such an easy thing to do."

"Yes," Giles muttered, cleaning his glasses as he did, "For now I'm sure we can find someplace for you to sleep. Perhaps in the basement?" he questioned Angel. Angel looked at him thoughtfully.

"It's okay," he interrupted the two men's silent conversation. "I understand I'll have to earn your trust. You can chain me up or lock me away or whatever you need to do. I won't fight."

"Thanks," Angel said, before turning to Giles. "Do you have any chains? We can chain him to the bars on the outside of the cage." Giles nodded and the man followed them to the basement, Faith and Spike bringing up the rear while Wesley began pulling out other books and distributing them to the group.

"What's happening?" Joyce asked from inside the cell. Giles veered off to get the chains, while Angel led their guest to the cell. "Who's this?" she asked.

"What happened?" Spike countered. Buffy was still face down on the mattress, but her trembling had stopped. Now she just lay there in a daze. He turned on the young man, vamping out. "Did you do this?"

"Azeroth," he said simply, his eyes never leaving the still figure in front of him. "I think he used the bond against her, opening the portal and sending through his first Horsemen, letting their bond pull him to her."

"Like a homing beacon," Faith said. Giles returned and the young man let Angel chain him up in the corner, the chains looping through the bars. Faith threw him some blankets. "This is the best we can do for now," she told him, before flinging herself onto Anya's small couch that had been relocated to the basement.

"It's more than I expected," he told them, making himself a small bed. "Thank you."

"Who are you?" Joyce asked again from her position next to her daughter.

"He's helping us," Giles said, seating himself on Buffy's other side. Buffy took no notice of his approach, nor did she react when he pulled the gauze to the side to inspect the burn. "He's from the same demon dimension as Azeroth."

"And he's helping?" Joyce asked, before turning her attention to the young man. "Why are you helping?"

"I'm trying to make up for the pain my family has caused her," he told them truthfully. "My father was her primary caregiver, which translates into main torturer. He tried to involve me, but I could never find any pleasure in what they did to her."

"Your father is in Azeroth's inner circle?" Giles asked.

"Yes," he answered hesitantly. "The only reason I am still alive, as my father continually tells me." He looked at their curious looks and elaborated. "I'm different from the other demons. I don't like pain and torture and death like most demons do. My father insists it is just a phase I'm going through, continually trying to beat the demon to come forth. When Azeroth sent through his first Horsemen I saw my chance to escape. Finding and being accepted by you is more than I could ever hope for."

"You're in chains mate," Spike pointed out. "That's not quite acceptance."

"You didn't kill me outright," he countered. Spike merely shrugged.

"What's your name?" Joyce asked, feeling a strong need to protect this young man. He paused.

"I don't have one. In my world you are not given a name, you have to earn one. Usually in battle, which I never aspired to." Joyce smiled at him, her mothering instincts going crazy.

"How about Daniel?" she suggested. "It was the name we were going to give Dawn if she turned out to be a boy."

"Really?" Dawn spoke up for the first time. "Daniel. I think that would have worked for me." Joyce smiled indulgently at her youngest before turning back to the young man. She was surprised to find tears in his eyes.

"I would be honored," he said proudly. "Daniel." Joyce smiled again before looking down. Her daughter had finally fallen asleep. She shared a look with Giles before the two of them retreated, reluctantly closing the door behind them. She didn't go very far though, joining Faith on the couch. She pulled her legs up and tried her best to sleep.

* * *

"Tell me you found something," Joyce said climbing the stairs the next morning. She walked over to the coffee pot, quickly pouring herself a cup.

"Nothing good," Xander told her, helping himself to another cup. Tara was making pancakes for the group. They were being eaten as fast as she could put them out. "Wesley did find two references to the Four Horsemen. Apparently they were first summoned back when there was a cave Slayer and the Watchers were still learning their ABC's. Apparently Cave Slayer found them and killed them, but they were already sick and dying."

"How do we know this?" she asked.

"Cave painting from Cave Slayer," Xander said. "Which the Council confiscated as soon as they found. How do you confiscate a cave anyway?" Joyce shrugged.

"The other time?" she asked.

"That was about five thousand years ago, when civilizations were starting to flourish and Watchers were finally getting their record keeping together. The Four Horsemen showed up in Mesopotamia, conveniently where the Slayer was living. There was a big battle, which took three days and which everyone in the nearby town was able to watch. The Slayer ultimately won, but it cost her life."

"How did she win?" Tara asked as she put the next group of pancakes on the plate in front of them. Joyce and Xander each took a few, and began to butter them as Xander spoke.

"The Horsemen weren't demons, just humans who worshiped Azeroth. He imbued them with the essence of the Horsemen, but they ultimately didn't have the training or the endurance to match up against a Slayer."

"So now he's using demons essentially linked to a Slayer," Wesley said, helping himself to some pancakes.

"Third times the charm," Xander said, taking a big bite of his pancake. "Gotta admire his tenacity."

"No you don't," Joyce countered. "So we haven't learned anything to stop him?"

"We have uncovered a few things," Wesley told her. "The Horsemen are using Buffy's own strength as their own. If we are able to sever this link there is the possibility that they will succumb to the toxic nature of the world, like the first time they were encountered."

"How do we do that?" Joyce asked. Wesley grimaced.

"Here is where that plan starts to get tricky. Since the ritual involved a willing sacrifice, the only way to counter it is to kill the sacrifice."

"So you want to save my daughter's life by killing her," Joyce questioned flatly, making sure she understood his intentions.

"Not an ideal situation," he reassured her, "but something we should keep in mind should the worst come to pass. We have also been looking into defeating Azeroth, which falls just short of impossible since only family members can kill him."

"Which makes family reunions a lot more awkward than normal," Xander said, causing Wesley to choke on his breakfast. "Surprisingly enough not a whole lot of family members still around." They were interrupted by the sound of screaming coming from the basement. They rushed down to find Buffy curled into a ball, her back blazing like it did before, screaming her head off. Joyce went to her, but Buffy roughly pushed her away.

"The next Horsemen has arrived," Daniel said quietly, his eyes never leaving her writhing form. Soon she quieted down, the fire on her back eased leaving a second brand, down and to the left of the first.

"Gunn," Angel ordered, "go check it out." Gunn nodded, grabbing Xander and Faith on the way out. Giles, who came down when he heard his Slayer screaming, grabbed the first aid kit and gently approached. Buffy reacted violently, forcing him back out of the cage. She started attacking the bars that separated her from the others, causing them to reluctantly shut the door again.

"That was the symbol of Conquest," Wesley said to the quiet group. "They are coming here a lot faster than I thought."

"On this side maybe," Daniel spoke up, "but not on their side. One day here is equivalent to a little over a year back there. They are coming at ritualistic solstices, when day and night are at their strongest." He finally looked away from Buffy and into the eyes of her Watcher. "Famine will appear next, approximately twelve hours from now."

"Then Death," Giles said. Daniel shook his head.

"I'm not sure," Daniel told them. "Originally that was the plan. The burns on her back are mirror images of what is happening at the Hellmouth. The Four Horsemen will form the four points of a circle, with the Hellmouth at its center. Azeroth was to perform the ritual himself with his chosen Horsemen, gaining the Slayer's strength through their bond, and enough protection to withstand this world. Once the Horsemen had entered, their combined strength would allow Azeroth to follow."

"But the ritual was interrupted," Giles spoke out. "How does that affect his plans?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "He is sending his Horsemen, so he must have a plan he thinks can overcome the lack of the Fourth Horsemen."

"Okay, silly question coming," Willow spoke up. "If two of the Horsemen are here, and the third is probably on his way, do they really need all four of them to end the world?"

"According to mythology all four are needed to bring about the apocalypse," Giles told her, "but I agree with Daniel. I don't think Azeroth would have sent them if he didn't have a way to get all of them here."

"How much damage can they do?" Fred asked.

"Quite a lot," Wesley said. "Their arrival in Mesopotamia was one of the leading causes of its downfall, even hundreds of years after they were defeated." Just then Gunn and the others came back down the stairs.

"Nothing," Gunn told the group. "We could feel some serious mojo in the air, but he must have skedaddled as soon as he came through."

"We need to know where they are," Angel said.

"We could try a locator spell," Willow suggested. Giles nodded and soon Willow and Tara were chanting softly in the corner, a map of Sunnydale spread out between them. They finished the spell and a light glowed brightly on the map. "They're… here?" she looked at Giles in confusion.

"Buffy is here," he corrected, glancing back at the cell where Buffy was currently pacing back and forth. "The ritual is protecting them, showing where Buffy is while hiding the true targets."

"Now what do we do?" Willow asked.

"Not to sound crass or anything," Gunn spoke up, "but we know where and when the next Horseman is arriving."

"I was hoping to have this resolved before then," Giles admitted, the thought of letting his Slayer go through that again physically pained him.

"I hear ya," Gunn agreed, "but if we don't have an answer by then."

"We'll follow them," Angel agreed. "But we still have time. Let's try to figure out a better plan." The group nodded and once again stormed up the stairs to research.


	9. Chapter 9

Warnings and disclaimer in chapter 1. Enjoy.

* * *

"Buffy?" Joyce called for what seemed like the hundredth time. Buffy ignored her and continued to pace in the cell, her shoulders tense. She hadn't let anyone get near her since the second branding, and Joyce was getting desperate to inspect the burn and help in any way.

"Kate and Gunn should be at the school by now," Angel said, joining Joyce, Giles, and Faith as they waited for the next burn. Both groups had spent the day trying to find a way to spare Buffy this pain, but so far nothing had worked. Giles had the first aid kit ready, along with several cold packs. The only problem was Buffy was being extremely uncooperative.

"Buffy?" Joyce tried again. This time her daughter snarled at her as she passed. Joyce sighed. "I don't understand. I've always been able to get through to her by now."

"It's not your fault Joyce," Angel said gently. "It's that place. They broke her."

"Actually they didn't," Daniel spoke up. "My father never completely broke the Slayer. He left the tiniest thread that still connects her to reality. Her relationship with her mother." He looked at Joyce. "That is why she still connects with you. Everyone else is just half formed thoughts she doesn't even know she's having."

"Why?" Joyce asked, paling at the thought of having inadvertently caused her daughter even more pain.

"Azeroth needed a willing sacrifice to bind his Horsemen. A broken mind is not able to be willing."

"Why me?" Joyce demanded, watching as Buffy continued to pace.

"You were with her when she was taken. You were convenient."

"You will not believe who I just saw down at Willy's bar," Spike said, barging into the conversation. "One of the Horsemen came recruiting demons for his army."

"Conquest," Giles said offhandedly.

"Right," Spike agreed, "only thing was, as soon as he walked into the bar I felt defeated. Like he had won without even picking up a weapon or starting a fight. Then as soon as he left the feeling went away." Giles started questioning Spike, but Joyce tuned them out, instead focusing on her daughter. Buffy had become even more restless, trembling from head to toe, with a fine sheen of sweat covering her skin.

"Ya know," Faith said as she stood next to the older woman, "If I didn't know better I'd say B was in withdrawal."

"What?" Joyce asked, noticing Giles and the vampires were watching intently. Faith shrugged.

"You see it in the slammer all the time," she told them. "When they're in the police station they're fine, but by the time they get to the prison enough time has passed where they usually start going through withdrawal. Some of the girls would try to hide it from the guards, thinking if the cops knew they were high it would hurt their case. Buffy's acting just like they did."

"But Buffy's not addicted to anything," Joyce protested. "I would know."

"Actually she is," Daniel told the group. "My father got her addicted to demon blood, but I didn't think her reaction would be this strong this quickly."

"What?" Joyce asked, looking to Giles to see if this was true. He, in turn, was intently studying his Slayer. "Rupert?"

"It's possible," he admitted, "but incredibly rare. Some demonic blood does act as a drug for humans, an incredible high with a near certain addiction rate, but many demons are reluctant to let a human feed off them for them for any extended periods of time. A demon willingly donating their blood to maintain an addiction of a human is almost unheard of."

"But possible?" Joyce screeched, causing Buffy to sink to the ground and cover her ears. "I'm sorry," she said gently, trying to reach her daughter once again. "I'm sorry. It's okay."

"It was one of the ways my father controlled her. Azeroth decreed that any demon could drink from her, but only my father and his family could feed her. He could drag this withdrawal out for months. Ultimately it's how Azeroth coerced her into willingly offering herself for the Bloodsharing Ritual."

"They would drink from her and she would drink from them, thus forging the bond," Giles surmised, before something Daniel said caught his attention. "You said Azeroth would only allow members of your father's family to feed Buffy. That means you're a Horseman." Angel and Spike vamped out, coming up to the younger man, but Daniel just shook his head.

"No, but my four older siblings are. I am the disappointment of the family." Everyone stood there in shock at the revelation, until Buffy started whimpering. "She needs blood," he said evenly.

"I'm a demon," Spike said, slipping back to his human visage, "she can have some of mine."

"No!" Giles shouted, looking between the two vampires. "You have both drunk from her. Even if vampire blood would help with her condition, you two will never be feeding her."

"You drank from her!" both Angel and Spike said at the same time, before charging at each other, knocking each other back against the wall. Faith sighed, preparing to go break up the fight when Buffy let out an ear curdling scream.

"Famine," Daniel said as her back once again lit up in flames. Joyce rushed in, unable to simply watch, and grabbed her daughter's hand as she writhed on the floor.

"It's okay. I'm here. It will be okay," she continued to repeat, even as Buffy blindly latched onto the hand with a bone shattering grip. Giles and Faith quickly approached, doing what they could for the two women. After what seemed like hours, but was probably minutes, the flames died down and Buffy collapsed to the floor, barely able to breathe. Joyce turned a desperate look to Daniel. "Can you help her?"

"I can feed her," he said, trembling as much as the Slayer, "but I've never done it before. I don't know how much it will help."

"Anything is good right now," she said, glancing desperately at Faith.

"You sure?" Faith checked. Joyce nodded and Faith walked out of the cell and over to Daniel. "You try anything and you'll be dead before your body hits the floor." He nodded and she quickly unchained him. She led him back to the group, Angel and Spike watching his every move along with Faith.

"I'll need a knife," he said, as he knelt in front of the cataleptic woman. Faith reached into her boot and pulled out a small knife and handed it to him. He reached down and gently cupped Buffy's head until she looked at him. "I'm sorry," he told her, before dragging the knife over his wrist. The blood flowed immediately. Buffy's response was equally immediate. She stretched out her body, getting as close to the blood as she was able to. She reached out to grab his arm, weakly pulling the bleeding limb to her mouth before quickly latching onto the wound, drinking as deeply as she could.

It wasn't as glamorous as the vampires could do, but everybody was transfixed by the sight. Daniel kept his eyes on Buffy, while Buffy's continually danced between Daniel's eyes and his wrist until Daniel's eyes rolled up and he fell limply. "Okay. That's enough," Faith said, dragging Daniel's limp body back from Buffy's suddenly vice like grip. Buffy was momentarily stunned before she started looking around in confusion.

"Mom?" she asked as she spotted her mother beside her. She sounded like herself for the first time since she returned. Then she noticed her Watcher kneeling on her other side and looked him in the eyes for the first time. "Giles? What's going on?" she asked, before her eyes rolled up and she passed out.

* * *

"I think I might have found a way to defeat Azeroth," Wesley said as he wandered down the stairs, never taking his eyes of the book he was reading. "He can only be killed by family, so I was researching different ways to adopt him into one of ours." He stopped when he sensed the tension in the room. Looking up he saw the shocked group inside of the cell. "What happened?" he demanded, closing the book with an audible snap.

"Nothing," Giles said quickly, wiping some blood from Buffy's lips and chin before turning his attention to her back. "Joyce," he said, and she quickly helped him turn her daughter onto her stomach. He ripped the shirt she was wearing in two, exposing her back for all to see.

"Here," Joyce handed him the burn gel while she carefully used the washrag to clean the new burns. The whip marks were finally starting to fade, leaving only the deepest still marring her flesh. Across the cell Faith was holding gauze over Daniel's arm, the faintest sight of blood staining the white material.

"What's going on here?" Wesley asked again. "Did he escape?"

"No," Giles told him quickly as he bandaged her up as best he could. "And I've already looked into that ritual. It won't work. He must willingly accept us as family, and I doubt he will do that." Sometime during the branding or the feeding right after she had soiled herself again. He looked at Joyce, who promptly nodded. He gathered his Slayer in his arms, carefully carrying her to the bathroom.

"Spike," Joyce asked as she followed him, "could you please go grab some fresh clothes for Buffy?"

"Right," the blonde vampire said, before running up the stairs. Angel took the unspoken suggestion and began gathering up the soiled blankets, piling them in a corner while he quickly cleaned up the cell. Faith gently moved Daniel back to his corner, holding the chains uncertainly.

"Chain him Faith," Angel told her. "We can't have him free." She reluctantly did as she was told.

"Something happened here," Wesley said with certainty. Joyce had stripped her daughter, giving her an impromptu sponge bath while Giles held her upright. Spike returned with some clothing, which he dropped off inside the door before hovering outside. "I demand to know what it was. As your employer…"

"Stop!" Angel shouted in anger. "You are not my employer! Not now!" Angel threw up his hands, growling, and turned to remake the makeshift bed, shaking the blankets a little harder than usual. When he was done he stared at the wall for a few minutes until Giles carefully brought Buffy back in. He laid her on her side, with Joyce following her daughter into the bed. Finally he turned and spoke to the ex-Watcher. "I made a mistake. I know that. And I've been trying to make it up to you by working for you. But this is not just another case we're working here. This is bigger than any one of us. And you need to get passed your own self-importance to see that we need to work together as a group. If you need someone in charge, we'll put someone in charge. But it won't be you." Angel passed by him without saying another word, climbing the stairs silently. Spike followed.

"I'll check out that demon army the Horseman was recruiting for," he told them before vanishing from sight. Giles stood to leave but Joyce reached out and grabbed his hand.

"Rupert," she said pleadingly. He nodded.

"I'll do some research," he told her softly.

"Research?" Wesley spoke up, his shocked silence finally leaving him. "Anything I can help with?"

"No," Giles said harshly, as he made his way across the room. "It is a private matter. Why don't you continue researching ways to bring Azeroth into the family?"

"You've already pursued those avenues," Wesley said, understanding dawning on his face. "Why didn't you tell me I was wasting my time?"

"You might have found something I missed," Giles told him, "plus, as Angel pointed out, you're not really working as part of the team right now. And I have no intention of working for you." Wesley sputtered for a moment. "Faith?" Giles called out as he reached to door.

"I'm good G. I'm gonna crash here tonight." Giles nodded in understanding before climbing the stairs.

"Are you sure I can't help with the research?" Wesley asked as they headed up the stairs. Giles just glared at him.

* * *

Joyce didn't mean to fall asleep. She was just going to lay down with her oldest until she fell asleep. Just to make sure she was okay. Her body had other ideas. She jolted awake when Buffy began twitching in her sleep. "Buffy? Wake up honey." Joyce reached out to shake her shoulder, hoping she wouldn't receive another black eye for her trouble. Buffy bolted upright at the slight touch.

"What?" she mumbled, looking around at her surroundings before focusing on her mother. "Mom?"

"Buffy," her mother replied calmly, sitting up slowly so she didn't startle Buffy.

"What?" Buffy asked again, eyes scanning her surroundings before she saw Daniel. He had woken up at her movement and was staring at her. Slowly Buffy put her fingers to her lips. "I drank?"

"Yes," he told her, "but you didn't complete the ritual."

"Oh God," she exclaimed, repeating herself as she pulled her legs up and curled into a ball. She began rocking back and forth. She tried to put her hands over her ears but her mother stopped her.

"Buffy!" Joyce said sternly, grabbing both of Buffy's hands and holding them firm. "Look at me baby. I know you're scared and you want to go back to your safe place, but I need you here. Stay with me baby."

"I can't," she cried. "He broke me."

"No he didn't," she told her. "He didn't because you're still here. You're stronger than he thinks you are. You can beat this. Just stay with me." Joyce looked up as Giles rushed into the cell, kneeling next to his Slayer.

"Giles," she said, tears running down her eyes as she reached for him. He took her in his arms, holding her tightly. "He did things to me. I let him do things to me. I've done things."

"I know" he told her gently, "and it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter to me or your mother or your family. The only thing we care about is you're home now. We love you and will help you in any way we can, but you have to be strong now. Don't let him win. Not when we're so close."

"It hurts," she admitted, sobbing in her Watcher's arms. "It hurts so bad." Her mother wrapped her arms around both of them, enveloping both in much needed comfort.

"I know," she soothed her daughter. "I know it hurts, but you can overcome this. You're so much stronger than even you know. We'll be here every step of the way. Just stay with us."

"I'll try," she told them, before burying her face in her mother's shoulder. She soon had cried herself to sleep, but they were reluctant to let her out of their hold.

"I didn't expect her to be so lucid," Joyce admitted when she finally released her hold on them.

"It's an after effect of her feeding," Giles said, gently laying the girl down. "Reality is sharpened, at least temporarily. Azeroth would probably use this time to begin her torture again, using the brief time she was mentally brightest to further break her."

"So this lucidity will fade?" she asked, not really wanting to know the answer.

"Yes," Giles admitted, "but to what degree I'm not sure. She has a strong mind. It's possible she will regress completely to the state she was in before, but it's equally possible she will manage to hang on to that thin string on sanity they left her. Only time will tell, though I suspect your presence will help significantly."

"I'll be here," she promised. "What about the addiction?" He winced.

"The few sources I was able to find tell of a long and painful path ahead of us, and that was just from short exposures. We have no way of knowing how long she has been addicted, but it could be years." He sighed. "I'm hesitant to contact the Council with this news. They may decide to simply terminate her, as they tried to do with Faith, but I'm out of my league."

"Talk with Ben," Joyce suggested. "He's a doctor. He might have some insight. Plus he knows all about us so the supernatural aspect shouldn't be that difficult for him to understand."

"I didn't think of that," he admitted. "It's worth a shot." He quietly got to his feet. "Will you be okay?"

"No," she answered honestly, "but I'm strong too. I can hold it together for a while longer. It's what mom's do best." He smiled before he headed to the door.


	10. Chapter 10

Warnings and disclaimer in chapter 1. Enjoy.

* * *

Buffy couldn't remember the last time she had woken up in someone's arms. She felt safe for the first time in forever. "Mmmm," she sighed, snuggling closer. "This is nice," she slurred, still half asleep.

"I'm glad you like it." She opened her eyes to gaze at her mother, the person she was using as a human pillow. Joyce smiled back at her, the first genuine smile in a long time. She pulled her daughter closer to her, brushing her fingers through her long hair. "You'll need to move soon though. I need to go to the bathroom."

"Don't wanna," she grumbled, but pulled herself into a sitting position, wincing when the movement pulled at her back. She looked around, this time taking in the room fully. "Where are we?"

"The new house," Joyce answered, brushing some hair from her face.

"The new house is a jail block?" Buffy joked, looking back at the bars surrounding her. She saw Giles quietly regarding them from a chair at the open door and gave a small smile, before continuing her survey. She stopped when she saw Daniel. "You," she gasped. Daniel merely stared at her.

"This is Daniel," Joyce explained, when she saw where her daughter was looking. "He helped them rescue you." She hesitated, looking to Giles, wondering if she should tell her more. Giles shook his head minutely.

Buffy was oblivious as she studied the man intently. "Daniel huh?" He smiled.

"Your mother was kind enough to give me a name." He threw her a thankful glance. "I think it suits me."

"Yeah it does," she said after a few minutes. Then she turned her attention back to her mother. "So a new house?"

"Yeah. Remember we were talking about furnishings right before you were… taken." Buffy looked at her blankly, before looking down at her hands.

"I'm sorry. I don't remember," she said softly.

"What do you remember?" Giles asked from his position at the doorway. Buffy looked at him.

"From when?" she asked him.

"From before," he said simply. She sighed, looking down at her hands again.

"Not much," she admitted. "Little bits and pieces. Names." She looked up at her mother. "Will and Sand?" she asked uncertainly.

"Xander," she corrected her. "Willow and Xander. They're your two best friends." Buffy's eyes lit up at their names.

"Yeah," she agreed. "Them. I can sometimes see their faces."

"They're upstairs," Giles told her. "Do you want them to come down?" Buffy's face darkened.

"No. It's just too much. At least for right now." Giles nodded in understanding. He studied his Slayer intently as he asked the next question.

"What do you remember during your captivity?" He kept his tone light, but knew immediately that Buffy was not ready to deal with any of that just yet. She vehemently shook her head, even as her whole body began to shake, her eyes closing as the torturous images played out in her mind. Giles could see her start to withdrawal inside herself. He cursed himself for asking, trying to think of some way to keep her with them, when suddenly Joyce spoke up.

"Buffy," Joyce said patiently, "bathroom."

"What?" Buffy's eyes shot open and she looked at her mom in confusion before she realized she unconsciously was leaning into the older woman. "Sorry," she said sheepishly as she sat up quickly, letting her mother up as well.

"It's okay," Joyce said as she got to her feet. She went to the bathroom and took care of business quickly before returning to the cell. She was unsurprised to find Giles had taken her spot, sitting quietly next to the girl, while she was gone. "Are you hungry?" she asked, coming to her other side.

"I'm sorry. I don't remember," Buffy replied, looking at her in confusion. Joyce shared a quick concerned glance with Giles.

"How do you feel?" he asked carefully, casually checking her temperature. She flinched but allowed the contact.

"Weak," she admitted. Joyce immediately countered.

"Buffy, you are one of the strongest people I know. You can get through this," she repeated again. Buffy smiled at her.

"Thanks," she replied gracefully, "but I meant physically weak. I don't know if I could even stand on my own right now." Joyce and Giles looked at each other but it was Daniel that spoke.

"She's starving."

"What?" Giles asked, giving the demon his full attention.

"The magic of the Hartstone kept her physically unchanged and alive, but it still requires energy from the host. While it was embedded inside her, she didn't have to pay the cost…"

"But now she does," Giles finished. Daniel nodded.

"The Slayer has a tremendous amount of mystical energy to draw from, but even she has her limits. Those limits are probably already passed." Giles sighed.

"How long has it been since she last ate?" he asked. Daniel finally turned away from them, staring down in shame.

"She never ate while captive," he admitted, "and the only time she drank was during feeding times." Joyce opened her mouth in a silent gasp while Giles began polishing his glasses. Buffy continued to look at them in confusion.

"Another situation to contend with," he told Joyce.

"What does that mean?" she asked.

"It means we will need to monitor her diet very carefully," he told her. "It's also possible she may have forgotten how to eat."

"I can learn," Buffy spoke up, suddenly afraid they were going to abandon her. "I'm a quick learner."

"Hmmm," Giles thought before grabbing one of the many bottles of water that were lined up near the door. He handed it to Buffy, who took it then continued to look at him questioningly. "Drink." Buffy swallowed hard at the word, but looked at Giles with determination.

"How?"

"Like this," Joyce said, taking the bottle, twisting off the cap, and taking several gulps. She handed it back to her daughter. "Now you try." Buffy nodded, raising the bottle like her mother did. She didn't quite get her lips around the opening though, and ended up pouring half the bottle down on her face before Giles could pull the bottle upright. She spluttered, choking on what little water did manage to make it into her mouth.

"Sorry," she told them, her eyes filling with tears.

"It's okay," Joyce quickly reassured her, breaking out of her shock from her daughter's impromptu shower. Giles handed her a towel and she quickly dried Buffy as best she could. "Let's try something else. How about I hold the bottle."

"Okay," Buffy said, handing over the offensive item.

"Okay. Open your mouth." Buffy quickly complied and Joyce trickled a small amount of water into her mouth. "Close and swallow," Joyce instructed. Buffy tried, but ended up nearly choking again, water dribbling from her still closed mouth even as she was coughing. Joyce shot Giles a concerned glance as she helped her daughter.

"I have an idea," Daniel said quietly, motioning Giles over. He approached slowly. "Blood," he whispered when Giles was close enough to not be overheard by the two women. "Just a few drops. It's the only thing she knows right now, and possibly the only thing her body will accept." Giles sighed as he looked back at the two women. Joyce was trying to trickle some water into her mouth, like she did a few nights ago, but even that was causing Buffy to choke.

"Joyce," he called out. Joyce turned to look at him while Buffy simple fell to the now wet bed. "I want to try something," he said, reaching out for the bottle. She brought it over to him and was about to return to her daughter when he softly whispered "Stay." He handed the bottle over to Daniel. He pulled the small knife he used earlier out of his pocket and pricked his finger. He let a few drops fall into the half-filled bottle before putting his finger into his mouth, sucking slightly until the bleeding stopped.

"Are you sure?" Joyce asked as Daniel handed the once again capped bottle back to Giles. They turned and looked at Buffy, who was suddenly sitting straight up, nostrils flaring, searching for the source of the blood she could smell.

"No," he admitted before turning back to Daniel. "Will this help?" he asked carefully.

"I don't think it will hurt," he told them. ""It definitely won't enhance the addiction. She'll need much more than a couple drops when the time comes to feed her again." Giles handed the bottle to Joyce.

"It's your choice," he told her, deferring to his Slayer's mother. She took a deep breathe, grabbed the bottle, and rejoined her daughter on the makeshift bed.

"When it comes time for her next feeding," Giles began, only to be interrupted.

"I can help," Daniel told him. "I'll help until she doesn't need me anymore." Giles stared at him.

"Why are you helping?" he asked the young man. "It's extremely rare for a demon to care for a human to such a degree. Why do you?"

"I'm not like most demons," he reminded the Watcher. "My father has done some horrible things to her. I'm just trying to make it right." Giles nodded, turning to watch mother and daughter. Joyce uncapped the bottle and handed it back to Buffy with instructions to try again. Buffy nodded, bringing it up but she paused just short of her mouth. Her nostrils flared again as she finally found the source of the blood. Before anyone could stop her, she drank the rest of the bottle in several large gulps.

"Oh God," she exclaimed a few minutes later as she grabbed her stomach. "I'm gonna be sick." She proceeded to vomit all over herself, Joyce barely stepping clear in time. Her stomach emptied quickly, but she continued to dry heave for several minutes before curling her shaking body into a ball. "I'm sorry," she chanted, refusing to look at either of them.

"It's okay," Joyce soothed the girl, quickly gathering Buffy in her arms despite the filth she was covered in. "It's okay." Buffy tried to pull away, but couldn't break out of Joyce's grip. Eventually she gave in to her mother's soothing, collapsing against the other woman and sobbing. She cried for several minutes before she was able to calm down, pushing away and looking at herself in disgust.

"I'm sorry I'm so weak," she said, still refusing to look at them.

"You're not weak," Giles told them, feeling safe to come over at last. "It's a normal reaction to prolonged periods of starvation and dehydration."

"It's normal?" Buffy asked, glancing at her Watcher in hope before averting her eyes. He nodded. "How do we fight it?"

"By going slowly and cautiously."

"Hey," Joyce asked, cupping Buffy's chin and forcing her to look her in the eyes. "You ready to try again?" Buffy nodded. Giles reached over and grabbed another bottle. He broke the seal and took a good drink before handing the half-filled bottle to the Slayer.

"Go slowly. Just a few sips." She nodded, and brought the bottle to her lips, but she couldn't drink. She tried, she just couldn't make her throat swallow. Shamefully she handed the bottle back, avoiding his gaze. "What's wrong?"

"I can't," she told him. "I want to, but I just can't. Something's off." Giles sighed, sharing a look with Joyce. She nodded.

"You've been addicted to the demon's blood," Giles told her as calmly as he could.

"I know," she snapped, instantly regretting it. She continued in a softer tone. "Az took great pleasure describing the torture I would go through during the withdrawal as his demons held me down and forced me to drink from him. Drink or die, only dying wasn't an option." She got a faraway look in her eyes, as if caught in a memory she couldn't escape from. After a minute she shook her head violently and turned back to him. "I've also endured the process a few times. I know exactly what will happen."

"There's a side effect neither one of us may have foreseen," he told her gently, desperately trying to keep his face calm at the information she inadvertently let slip. She obviously remembered a great deal of her time in the Hell dimension, but wasn't ready to deal with it yet. He would give her all the time she needed. "I believe during that time you're body began to change, to the point where it will no longer accept any sustenance beside demonic blood."

"So I'm dead," she said unemotionally.

"No," he quickly countered, "As we detox your system from the blood, we should be able to wean your dependency in the food you eat."

"Can't I just stop completely?" she asked him. He shook his head.

"No. Stopping cold turkey will surely kill you. You must wean yourself off the blood first."

"Is that such a bad thing," Buffy mumbled under her breath, not really intending for anyone to hear it, but everyone heard anyway.

"Elizabeth Anne Summers!" Joyce's furious voice cut through. Automatically Buffy found herself looking into her mother's irate face. "Don't ever say anything like that again! Do I make myself clear?" Buffy nodded and Joyce's face softened. "You're stronger than this remember? You can beat this. Don't let him win."

"It's just so hard," she said dejectedly. She didn't burst into tears though. Buffy wasn't sure if that was because she was starting to cope or just didn't have the energy.

"Are you ready to try again?" Giles asked her after a moment. She nodded her head before remembering.

"I can't."

"You did before," he smiled at her and she cringed as she picked at the vomit that was starting to harden on her clothes. He turned to Daniel and tossed him the bottle. He pricked his finger, adding a couple drops of his blood, before tossing it back to Giles. "Just a couple sips," he told her, opening it and handing it to her.

"Okay," she agreed, bringing it up to drink. Once again she could smell the blood in it. Her body cried out for the blood, but she trusted Giles and wanted to do as he told her. She closed her eyes as her body warred with her mind. Eventually her mind won and she took a few careful sips of the tainted water. She quickly held the bottle up, not quite ready to trust herself completely yet. Someone grabbed the bottle, she wasn't quite sure who, as she waited for that sick feeling to come. A few minutes later she opened her eyes, only to see her Watcher and her mother beaming at her. "I did it." She sounded completely awestruck.

"You did it," her mother repeated. Buffy smiled.

"Can I have more?" she asked.

"In a little while," Giles told her.

"In the meantime, how about we both get cleaned up," Joyce said. "How does a hot shower sound?"

"Shower?" Buffy asked, confused again, but she let her mother pull her to her feet and lead her to the bathroom. A few minutes later she was in heaven.

* * *

"Okay, we got em," Gunn said as he and Kate entered the house. He stopped at the unusual tension that filled the room. "What happened?" he demanded. The Scoobies were sitting in one side of the room, Fred and Cordy across from them in the other corner, and Angel and Wesley were having a staring match in the center of the room. Angel shook his head before turning to Gunn.

"Where are they?" he asked.

"Holed up in one of the abandoned warehouses," Kate told them. "But something really strange happened. As Famine passed everything around him seemed to shrivel up and die."

"That makes sense," Wesley pointed out. "His name is Famine after all." Kate shook her head.

"That's not what was weird. After he walked by, everything was green and good again."

"Of course," Wesley exclaimed as Giles joined them. "They must not get their full powers until all four of them are united." He turned to look at the older Watcher. "But I suppose you already knew that," he said bitterly.

"No," Giles admitted, "but it makes sense. Death is the only one of the four that can't be undone. It explains why Death is the last to come. Well done Wesley," Giles said, looking the young man in the eye. Wesley nodded, accepting the praise solemnly. "I want to apologize for my behavior earlier. My Slayer was taken. All my time and energy was put into her retrieval. Now she's back and I find myself at a crossroads. She desperately needs my help, but at the same time I can't ignore my calling and ignore the Horsemen. I took my frustration out on you, and for that I apologize."

"Accepted," Wesley quickly spoke, "and you don't have to sacrifice one duty for the other. That is what friends are for. Take care of your Slayer and leave the Horsemen to us. At least the research part." Giles nodded, before turning to the Scoobies.

"I need to see you upstairs, in private." They looked at each other before slowly getting to their feet. "Dawn," he started but she just sulked.

"I know. I'm too young to hear anything. You know I'm just gonna listen in anyway," she said. He simply smiled.

"I was going to say your mother wanted to talk to you while I talked to them. She will be up in a moment."

"Oh," Dawn said, appropriately chastised. She turned as her mom came up the stairs. "Mom? What happened?"

"Just a little accident," she said, referring to the vomit that was starting to dry on her shirt. The Scoobies looked on in concern before Giles motioned them up the stairs. "I just have to get cleaned up and then we are going to have a long talk." Dawn nodded, following her mom up the stairs.

"What was that about?" Wesley wondered out loud. Angel sighed.

"It's a private affair. A family thing. Please let it go." Wesley nodded, already thinking about their own problems.

"Well it seems that our solution is simple. If Death can't join the other three the apocalypse will be stopped."

"So the question is how do we keep Death away," Gunn summarized, taking a seat on the couch.

"That is the question," he repeated as he started writing down possible solutions they needed to research. He stopped, looking at them intently. "Do you think I'm a self-absorbed, arrogant prick who can't work with a team?" he asked, glaring at Angel.

"Yes," Gunn and Cordelia answered at the same time.

"What?" Wesley shot a disbelieving look their way. "Why haven't you ever said anything?"

"Cause that's just the way you are bro," Gunn said. "It doesn't bother us because it's just you being you."

"And when we do need someone to take charge you're pretty good," Cordy added. "We just don't need it right now. We've all been doing this way too long to need to be told what to do."

"I suppose," he sighed. "I just don't understand why they're all acting this way."

"It's a family thing," Angel told him again. "Would you tell them our deepest secrets?"

"No," Wesley admitted.

"Then leave them theirs. If they need help they know they can always ask." He nodded as the group came back down the stairs. Everyone looked pale except for Anya, who just looked bored.

"I need to take Daniel to the hospital," Giles told them as he gathered his keys. He headed downstairs. Faith was casually flicking through a magazine when they walked down. "We need to take Daniel to see Ben," he told the second Slayer.

"And you need someone to keep him in his place?" she grinned. "I can do that. But someone needs to stay with B."

"I will," Xander volunteered, looking into the cell to see Buffy tossing fitfully in her sleep.

"Thank you Xander," Giles told him. "If you have any problems Angel is just upstairs." Xander nodded, taking one of the chairs by the cell door. Giles headed over to Daniel. "Will you cooperate?"

"Of course I will," he promised. Faith smirked at him, passing the key over to Giles.

"Fair warning. If you are thinking of doing anything Faith can and will take you out."

"I hope you mean dinner and a movie," Daniel replied, smirking.

"Play your cards right, maybe in five to ten," Faith countered. Giles rolled his eyes as he unlocked the manacles.

"Anya, I was hoping you would come with us as well. You seem to have had some experience with this. You're insight might be helpful."

"My insight is always helpful," she automatically replied. "Why should this time be any different?" She gave Xander a goodbye kiss before following the group up the stairs. Xander sighed, standing up and walking a couple steps toward Buffy.

"C'mon Buff," he said to her sleeping form. "I know you can beat this thing."


	11. Chapter 11

Warnings and disclaimer in Chapter 1. Enjoy.

* * *

"So what kind of a demon are you?" Anya asked as they piled into one of the SUV's. "Giles was being deliberately vague." Daniel turned to look at the Watcher. He didn't want to lie to these people, but he wasn't sure what Giles wanted him to reveal either.

"That's not important right now," Giles said quickly. "What's important is he can help Buffy and has agreed to." They all quieted down at his firm tone. Daniel shot him a friendly smile before turning his attention back to the road. Soon they found themselves pulling up to Sunnydale General. "Ben is expecting us," he told them, leading them past the admission desk to the prearranged meeting place. Daniel looked around in wonder.

"Giles," Ben greeted, giving the older man a firm handshake. He quickly greeted the girls, stopping when he got to Daniel. "You must be Daniel," he said, holding out his hand. Daniel looked at it in confusion for a minute before copying Giles's action. "You're a demon?" he asked.

"Part demon," Daniel explained. "Demon father. Human mother." Giles raised his eyebrows and filed away that piece of information for later. Ben turned back to Giles.

"I'm no expert in the field, but I did talk to our addiction specialist. There are a few different drugs that we can try, but I don't know how they would react to demonic blood."

"Probably not well," Giles admitted. Ben nodded.

"That's what I thought. You don't want to go cold turkey, as that would probably kill her right?" Giles nodded. "So you'll have to wean her off slowly. The first step would be identifying the symptoms of the withdrawal."

"Oh that's easy," Anya said. "First there is irritability and moodiness. That will continue to get worse until she gets her next fix. Then there will be fever and chills, followed by uncontrollable shaking and tremors. Then there comes unconsciousness and finally death."

"Wonderful," Ben said, still slightly awed by Anya's ability to completely speak her mind. "I wouldn't let her symptoms progress much further than fever and chills. Definitely give her the dose when it hits tremors. You'll have to play it by ear. You know how much she can take better than anyone." Giles nodded.

"How much should we give her?"

"That's the second question we need to answer." He turned to Daniel. "How much blood did she take?"

"I don't know," he admitted.

"Enough that he passed out," Faith said, "and she would have kept going if I hadn't pulled him clear."

"Have you recovered from your blood loss?" he asked. Ben nodded.

"My demon side recovers quickly."

"Then I suggest we draw your blood until you reach that point again." Daniel nodded his agreement. "We'll bag it so you can take it with you and actually measure how much you give her." Ben pulled a tourniquet out and began to draw out his blood. "Just let me know when you start to feel like you did last night." Daniel nodded, watching as his blood filled up several bags before he started feeling faint. "Impressive," Ben commented, expertly sealing the bags before handing them to Giles. "If she was still drinking when he passed out you may need to start at an even higher dose. The ultimate goal is to give her less and less with longer times in between. Track her progress carefully. This isn't an exact science so there may be times when is seems she is losing ground. If you think she needs more give her more. You know her best."

"Thank you," Giles told him as he gathered the blood up in a paper bag. Daniel stood woozily, Faith rushing to help him.

"I can come back tomorrow and give some more blood for bagging," he slurred slightly, but everyone heard him clearly. "I should be recovered by then."

"If you're sure," Ben said skeptically. Daniel nodded. "Okay. See you tomorrow." He turned to Giles. "I'm sorry I don't have more definite answers, but addiction cases are never standardized, even for normal people. All I can say is do your best and I'll be here to help in any way that I can."

* * *

Buffy groaned as she woke up. "Hey Buff." She looked around when she heard the voice, finally finding the owner sitting stiffly in a chair. She stared at him for a moment before she finally placed him.

"Xander?" she asked hesitantly. He smiled at her. She tensed as he moved, but he was only putting the book he was reading down. Convinced he wasn't coming any closer, she let herself scan the room. "Mom?" she asked, starting to panic. Her mom was always there when she woke up.

"She's okay," Xander reassured her. "She's upstairs with Dawn. Do you remember Dawn?" Buffy hung her head in shame.

"I forgot her name," she admitted, speaking barely louder than a whisper. Xander sighed silently, wondering how he could make her feel better but not coming up with any ideas. He settled for just sitting with her. "Where is everyone else?" she asked, finally noticing nobody was there.

"Giles took Daniel to go see Ben at the hospital." Buffy nodded at that statement, but Xander wondered how much of it she really understood. "You thirsty?" he asked when she licked her lips for the third time that minute. She nodded. "Giles said you could have a couple sips," he told her, holding the same water bottle from before. She looked at it greedily before forcing herself to face Xander.

"I don't trust myself," she told him shamefully.

"That's okay," he grinned. "I trust you. Always have and always will." She looked between him and the bottle, clearly torn. "Tell you what. If you promise not to kick my ass later, I'll promise to take that bottle away from you if you can't handle it."

"Deal," she said. He stood slowly, forcing himself not to react when she shrank back from him. He slowly walked into the cell and knelt on the mattress. She looked down at her hands then defiantly raised her head to look at him.

"Just a few sips," he reminded her as he handed her the bottle. It took a few minutes for her to figure out the lid, but when she did she looked so excited. She stopped, smelling the blood the second the lid was off.

"Promise?" she asked him once more.

"Promise," he told her, grinning softly. She nodded, raised the bottle to her lips, and took a quick sip. She quickly handed it back to him. "I think he said you could take more than one," he joked as he noticed the way her fists were clenching then releasing. She shook her head.

"I'm good," she told him. Xander nodded, not wanting to push his luck. "What?" she asked when he kept looking at her. He just pointed to her fist. She unclenched her fist to find the lid was in her firm grasp. "Sorry," she said, handing it over. She gasped as their hands accidentally brushed together. "Xander? Were we ever together?"

"I had the biggest crush on you since the first time I saw you," he told her as he recapped the water, "but you never felt anything more for me than a friend. Although now I think we've progressed passed friendship and into family. You're like a sister to me. You and Willow." Buffy shuddered as she heard the name, but Xander decided to let it go for now. "Why?"

"I feel safe with you," she told him. "It's a feeling I haven't felt for a long time."

"Now you figure out you love me," he told her jokingly. He got a pensive look on his face. "You don't think my ex vengeance demon fiancé would mind if I broke it off do you?" She laughed, which was the response he was going for, but the laughter quickly turned into tears. He wanted to comfort her, but didn't want to scare her by making the wrong move, so instead he simply opened his arms and let her decide what she wanted. He wasn't prepared when she flung herself into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. "It's okay," he soothed, stroking her hair as best he could.

"What's wrong with me?" she asked as she sobbed. "My emotions are all over the place. I know I should be glad to get out of that place alive, but I don't have anything here."

"You have us," he said softly. "All of us are here for whatever you need." She cried for another minute before pulling herself back together.

"Thanks Xander," she said, giving him a small smile. He grinned.

"It's what the Xander shaped friend is all about." He handed her the bottle. "Another sip?" She rolled her eyes but grabbed the bottle, allowing herself two sips before giving it back. Xander nodded approvingly. "Get some sleep," he told her, watching as her eyes kept drooping even though she fought against the pull of sleep. She nodded, slowly laying down, and was asleep within seconds. He watched her for a minute before quietly getting to his feet. He jumped when he saw Joyce and Dawn watching them from the corner.

"That was nice Xander," Joyce told him when he made his way over there. He smiled.

"Just doing what I do best," he told her. "How long have you been here?"

"Long enough," Joyce said cryptically, "to know Anya is a very lucky woman." He blushed at the comment.

"I'll just leave you guys alone," he told them, quietly turning and picking up his book.

"Xander?" Dawn asked quietly. "Does she really not remember me?"

"She didn't remember your name Dawn," he told her gently, "but she remembers you. She hated herself for forgetting your name." Dawn nodded, engulfing Xander in a big bear hug. He returned it just as fiercely.

* * *

"How's it going down there?" Gunn asked as Giles joined the group in the library. Giles sighed as he traded out his book.

"She is becoming increasingly restless and snappish," he told them.

"It's a sign," Anya said, not looking up from her own book.

"Thank you Anya," he grumbled. "I had not figured that one out."

"What are you talking about?" Wesley asked, the rest of the AI group looking curiously.

"Nothing," all the Scoobies said simultaneously. Gunn sighed.

"I meant your research?" Gunn said, pointing to the book Giles just put down.

"Just the usual threats of death and destruction if all four ever arrive at the same time," he told the group, "the same as all the rest."

"I had a thought," Fred spoke up timidly. "The other three came through the same portal we used, but every twelve hours. We're close to the next twelve hour mark. If Death does get through we should know about it."

"So how do we fight Death?" Xander asked.

"How do we fight War?" Willow countered. "Have a sit in and start singing 'Kumbaya'?"

"Let's focus on the one thing we can fight," Wesley told the group, trying to get them back on track. "Why are they recruiting a demon army? And more importantly why are demons joining up? And how can we deal with it?"

"They're cannon fodder," Xander said. Everybody turned to look at him. "What? This is Army Guy talking here. They're essentially breaching into our world, which leaves them incredibly vulnerable initially. What better way of countering that vulnerability than have a bunch of demons protect you that you don't really care about."

"But they brought the whole army before," Tara pointed out. Xander shook his head.

"I don't think they did. I think that was just a scouting party, although a very big one. I think the army will be bigger. Much bigger."

"I hate to agree with Xander," Giles admitted, "but I think he's right. We should assume the demonic horde the Horsemen will be leading will be larger than anything we have ever encountered."

"Giles?" Dawn asked softly as she entered the room. "Mom needs you downstairs." He nodded and quickly left. Dawn took his seat.

"What I don't get is why the demons are so willing to join his cause," Anya said, slamming the book closed. "The majority of demons here are peaceful. The ones that are violent and good for an army are usually killed by Buffy soon after arriving in town. Why would the non-violent ones risk everything for a demon none of them even know?"

"You weren't in that room love," Spike said. "When Conquest or whatever name he's going by entered, it was like your entire life was meaningless and he was your salvation. And that was just after a few moments in his presence. Hell, even I was ready to join his cause until he left."

"Maybe it's some sort of hypnotic suggestion?" Fred asked. "Maybe on a frequency only demons can hear?"

"So if we block the frequency his army might just fade away into the night?" Willow finished.

"It certainly bears further investigating," Wesley said, smiling at the girls.

"Why would they be using one of the abandoned warehouses?" Gunn asked. "If the army comes through the portal in that old scary library, shouldn't they be securing that place first?"

"That's your bus stop Gunn," Kate said, carefully closing the book she was perusing. "You don't build you home near your bus stop."

"That whole area is abandoned," Angel remembered. "We might not get a better place to stop the army."

"I could design some traps," Fred offered.

"We could totally trick out the place," Gunn said.

"Well it seems like we have more of a plan than when we started. Fred and Gunn, you two can begin setting traps among the neighboring warehouses. The rest of us will continue to research the Horsemen." Everyone groaned as they pulled the books toward them.

* * *

"Joyce?" Giles asked as he reached the basement. He saw her immediately standing just outside the bars, Buffy pacing restlessly inside the cell.

"I think it's time," she said, her eyes never leaving her daughter. Giles took a good look and agreed. He went upstairs, returning after a few minutes with several blood packets Daniel had donated.

"No," Buffy said, turning to face them. They could see the sweet covering her body and the tremors that started wracking her tiny frame.

"Would you like it warm or cold?" Giles asked, pretending not to hear her panicked cry. He carefully measured out amounts of blood into several ready mugs.

"Buffy," Joyce reached out to her, but she just shrugged it off and continued pacing. "You know you have to do this."

"No," she said again. "I won't let them win."

"Buffy," Giles said, holding out a mug, "they only win if you let them." Buffy took a swipe at the mug, which Giles gracefully avoided.

"Now B," Faith said, finally deciding it was time to intervene. "I never thought I would say this, but you need to listen to your Watcher."

"No!" Buffy screamed again. She turned and began pounding on the concrete with her fists. Faith quickly jumped in, pinning the blonde Slayer's arms behind her. Buffy's legs collapsed under her, bringing both Slayers to the ground. Buffy started to tremble uncontrollably. "Please don't," she whispered to the room, but it was unclear who she actually was talking to.

"Oh Buffy," Joyce came in and started brushing Buffy's hair away from her sweaty forehead. She was extremely concerned at how hot her daughter was. Giles followed her in with the mug of demon blood. Buffy saw that and started to struggle again.

"B," Faith complained. It was taking all of her strength to keep the other Slayer down. "Think of it like taking medicine," Faith offered, but it was clear Buffy was no longer with them. She suddenly kicked out with her legs, knocking Joyce back, but before she was able to capitalize Giles was there throwing his entire weight on her lower half. He handed the mug to Joyce, who slowly approached Buffy.

"No. Please," she kept repeating. Joyce looked to Giles. He nodded.

"I'm sorry," she said as she forced the mug up to Buffy's lips. Faith pulled Buffy's hair back, forcing the blonde to open her mouth and Joyce slowly poured the red liquid down her throat. Buffy struggled some more, but eventually fell still. "It's okay," Joyce reassured her. She soon had the mug empty. Buffy continued to sit there, shaking. Joyce looked to Giles.

"The next mug," he instructed, carefully levering himself off his Slayer. Joyce nodded and soon handed the second mug over to Giles. He fed it to her, careful not to spill one drop. When it too was gone he handed the empty mug back to Joyce and traded places with Faith. He rested Buffy on his chest, feeling every shake she was desperately trying to not share. "The third," he said.

Faith nodded, and handed him a third mug of demonic blood. He fed this one to her slowly, stopping every few sips to see how she was going to react. It was almost halfway empty when he finally felt her body stop shaking. "It's okay. It's okay," he repeated, softly petting her hair. He could tell she was fighting to stay awake, but it was a fight she couldn't win. He continued to soothe her until she succumbed to unconsciousness. He transferred her limp form to her mother and took the mug outside, pouring the remaining blood into the original container. He carefully documented the experience, forming the baseline for her withdrawal symptoms in a blank journal. By the time we was done writing everything down, Joyce had Buffy cleaned up and asleep on the mattress. The two adults shared a long look while Faith excused herself. It was going to be a long and trying time.


	12. Chapter 12

Warnings and disclaimer in Chapter 1. Enjoy.

* * *

"How's it going?" Angel asked as Joyce and Giles wearily trudged up the steps. The Scoobies looked up knowingly while the AI group was confused.

"Slowly," Giles admitted, helping himself to a piece of pizza the group had ordered for dinner. Joyce bypassed the group, heading for the kitchen and coffee. "Faith and Spike are out patrolling I take it?"

"You know Faith," Xander shrugged. "Out the door without a word to any of us. Spike decided to follow and keep her safe." Giles nodded, helping himself to another piece of pizza.

"Anything new since I was called away?" he asked wearily.

"We're thinking traps in the nearby buildings to keep the army contained," Fred answered. Giles shook his head.

"We need to contain them inside the first building. If they make it out of the warehouse they'll spread too much."

"I'd agree with you," Angel said, "but we don't have enough fighters for our current plan. There's no way we can cover all the exits of the warehouse they're in unless we single ourselves up."

"Which would lead to sudden and definite death," Anya piped up. "I'm vetoing that option."

"So your plan is to rig the other warehouses with traps and lure them in?" Angel nodded. "How were you planning on luring them in?"

"We haven't gotten that far yet," Fred admitted.

"Either plan we go with we are short fighters," Wesley told the group. He turned to Giles. "Unless you have contacted the Council and several of their special forces teams are on their way." Giles sighed.

"I have contacted the Council," he told the group, "and they are debating the merits of helping versus forming a second front. I think we're on our own."

"As always," Xander sighed, sinking lower into his chair.

"Maybe not." They all turned to look at the unexpected visitor. Oz waved at them casually through the hallway. "I tried to knock, but I guess you didn't hear so I just let myself in."

"Oz?" Willow asked. The Scoobies kept looking between her and their old friend, wanting to welcome the werewolf back but following Willow's lead. He nodded and she got a big smile on her face as she raced into his arms.

"Hey," he greeted when she let go of him, only to find Xander taking her place. The two guys shared a quick hug before backing away. Oz found Giles with his eyes, the two of them sharing a glance before Oz broke the connection.

"What brings you here Oz?" Joyce asked, returning from the kitchen with a cup of coffee. She threw a tired smile at him. He gestured to a second man standing behind him.

"This is Mike. I was hoping you could help him with a problem," he started, "but I think maybe we can help each other. If you need fighters, maybe the Pack can help?"

"The Pack?" Giles asked. Oz shrugged. Mike picked up the story.

"It's probably not the right name for a group of Werewolves traveling together, but it seemed to fit. We kinda made Oz Alpha and we've been doing okay for the last few months, but we're getting closer and closer and I don't know what to do."

"Breath," Willow reminded him.

"Right," Mike said, taking a deep breath and allowing himself to calm down. "My name is Mike and my fiancé's name is Rachel. We were extreme outdoorsmen. Some of those 'drop us off in the middle of nowhere and come back in two weeks for our bodies' extreme. We were well off the beaten path when we met the Pack. Unfortunately it was one the full moon and we were bitten. That was six months ago."

"I'm sorry," Giles told him. He shrugged.

"It was our own fault for being way out there. Besides the Pack isn't so bad. The only rule they have is that you don't intentionally harm others. That's why they're always as far from civilization as they can be during the lunar cycles. But everyone is really nice. Our best friends are the couple that bit us."

"So what exactly do you need help with?" Wesley asked.

"We heard of Oz and how he learned to control his wolf side. He agreed to teach anyone in the Pack that wanted to learn. Rachel may love the outdoors, but she's a city girl at heart and desperately wanted to get back to the city. We volunteered immediately, and he has been teaching us along with a few others for a few months now."

"He's one of my best students," Oz spoke up. "He can control his wolf as well as I control mine."

"I have a good teacher," Mike blushed slightly. "But Rachel wasn't succeeding. And we think we know why." He paused for a moment before looking at the group. "She's pregnant."

"Was the child conceived before your new condition?" Wesley asked, looking almost excited at the prospect.

"We think so. We haven't really been intimate with each other since we were bitten, unless something happened when we were wolfs, but then we don't think she would be so big and what if we bring this curse onto an innocent child and what if it's not a child but some werewolf hybrid."

"Mike," Oz spoke up. "Calm down." Mike nodded. "Rachel was doing fine at first, but lately her mood swings have made it hard to maintain the inner calm required to keep the wolf at bay."

"Pregnancy hormones," Joyce said knowingly. The others just looked at her. "It's something all pregnant women go through. We just kinda go crazy and every little thing can set us off. Thankfully we usually go back to normal once we give birth."

"That's what we were thinking," Mike agreed. "We need someplace safe where she won't hurt anyone and no one will hurt her. Oz said you were nearby and I thought maybe you could help."

"We can help her," Joyce told the young man. He smiled and nodded.

"Thank you," he said. "I'll bring her by tomorrow. Tomorrow night is the first night of the full moon and she will probably be out of control. And if you need fighters I'll pass the word."

"Thank you," Joyce echoed back to him. Mike nodded and left the house, blending into the night silently. Oz looked around at the group.

"Hey," he greeted again before turning to the blonde witch. "Tara. I'm so sorry for before. I thought I was in control but I wasn't and you almost paid the price."

"I forgave you a long time ago," Tara smiled weakly at the werewolf. "I understand better than most hiding a part of you until you can't control it anymore. I understand why you reacted the way you did. And I also know it wasn't you but the wolf."

"Thank you," Oz said, engulfing the witch in a quick hug. He hugged Willow and Xander once more before he turned for the door. "I'll let you get back to your planning. If I can help in anyway just let me know."

"Oz?" Joyce spoke up before he made it out of the room. "Your friend. Has she seen a doctor yet?" Oz shook his head.

"Kinda hard to explain if it has four legs and is furry," he joked.

"You should go see Ben," she told him. "He's a doctor at Sunnydale General that knows all about the supernatural. It's who we go to whenever we need serious medical attention. He's not an OB/GYN but he might be able to help."

"Thanks," he said. "I'll mention that." Then he was off, blending into the night.

"Well we needed more fighters," Wesley spoke to the room.

"Will it be enough to tip the scales in our favor though?" Giles thought out loud.

"It better be." Everyone looked up to see Buffy leaning heavily against the wall, Daniel close behind her.

"Buffy?" Giles asked, heading to her side, but she stopped him with an upraised hand.

"Death is coming," she said. Giles looked at her carefully before stepping over to her. She let him lift her shirt.

"The marks are glowing," he told the group, unable to hold back a wince, "but there are no new burns." He lowered her shirt and moved in front of her. "Are you sure Death is coming?" She nodded.

"So we have even less time than we thought," Angel said. Buffy shook her head.

"Death isn't here yet," she told them. She moved forward, keeping a careful hand on the wall so she didn't fall over.

"So what do we do Buff?" Xander asked.

"You guys focus on the demons. That army is a distraction, but one that we can't afford to ignore."

"And the Horsemen?" Giles asked.

"Angel, Spike, and Faith get to take them out," she replied after a few minutes. "But we still have time. They won't do anything until Death comes."

"How do you know?" Gunn asked. Everyone shot him a death glare and he shrunk under the scrutiny. "Never mind. You know what you're talking about." Buffy glared but then hissed as she arched her back in pain. Daniel was at her side in an instant, gently holding on to her elbow. Giles was at her side also, lifting the shirt to check the brands.

"The intensity of the burn keeps fading," he told Joyce, who had moved to be next to her daughter.

"Azeroth is trying to use the same bond that the other Horsemen used," Daniel said, relinquishing his place to her mother, "but the ritual was never completed so the spell is having trouble finding her."

"Maybe we can use magic to protect her?" Willow spoke up. "Shield Buffy's essence so whatever spell Azeroth is using can't find her?"

"That's a good idea Willow," Giles readily agreed.

"How did you escape?" Wesley asked. Daniel smirked.

"Magic," he said, waving his hands at Wesley's cup of tea, which caused the item to disappear. Wesley was about to retort when a small gasp passed from Buffy's lips. Everyone's eyes turned to her.

"I'm okay," she told her mother, finding it was easier to focus on one person than try to think about everybody in the room. The brands faded again and Buffy sagged against the wall. "I just need a shower," she said.

"Come on," Joyce said, taking a step back toward the basement. Buffy made no move to follow her.

"Please don't," she said, the fear in her eyes obvious. "I can't go back into that cell. It's too much like there." Joyce and Giles shared a look.

"You won't have to go there ever again," Giles promised her. Joyce nodded and took her hands.

"Why don't I show you to your room? Dawn and Anya finished preparing it for you." Buffy nodded and followed her mother up the stairs, the others looking on. A few minutes later they could hear a shower going. Giles frowned and turned to Daniel.

"I can go back to the basement if you want me to," he offered. Giles sighed.

"There's no reason to. You might as well take a shower and rest for the rest of the night." Daniel nodded before looking up the stairs where Joyce took Buffy.

"I'll show you where you can shower," Xander said, sharing a look with Giles. Soon the boys disappeared. Giles just watched the stairs they went up thoughtfully.

"Can we trust what they say?" Gunn asked. He knew nobody from Sunnydale would dare ask the question.

"Azeroth didn't break her," Giles said wearily. "At least not completely." He had already had this discussion with the Scoobies and was not looking forward to having it again.

"That doesn't mean we can trust her," Gunn pointed out. Wesley glared at him before asking his question.

"How much does she remember?"

"More than she will admit," he told the ex-Watcher. "I don't think Buffy is ready to process or discuss the experience, but the Slayer has long been ready for this fight."

"Why do you talk about her like she's two people?" Kate asked.

"She essentially is," Wesley told her. "She was Buffy long before she was Called and has managed to hold on to some of her more girlish traits despite the Council's objections."

"Buffy has managed to blend Slayer and girl far more effectively than any Slayer in the last two hundred years," Giles told the detective proudly. "It is extremely rare to see one without the other, although right now would be the exception to that rule."

"So which one are we seeing now?" Kate asked, intrigued by the concept.

"Buffy mainly," Giles admitted. "Unless she's discussing tactics than that is definitely the Slayer. I doubt the two will merge again completely for some time." Just then Xander and Daniel came down the stairs. Daniel's hair was wet as he stood next to Giles.

"That shower is amazing," he told him. "No wonder Buffy was constantly whining about not having one."

"You let her out," Giles said, finally understanding how Buffy was freed. He was sure he locked the cell door when he and Joyce went upstairs. Daniel just shrugged, but nodded his head.

"You're not mad are you?" he asked, his smile slipping from his face. "She's not violent yet and she really wanted out of that cage. I know she never showed it before, but it was too similar to her prison for her to ever completely relax. And I would never let her hurt anyone."

"I'm not mad," he reassured the demon, before looking at him intently. "You helped her before didn't you?"

"I helped the group that rescued her," he told him, not quite understanding what Giles was asking. Giles shook his head.

"Before that," he said. "She has never flinched from your presence or made any attempts to hide from you."

"My father was her torturer," he repeated. "My siblings and I would often be present during these sessions. I never found pleasure with her pain like my brothers did. Often I would sneak back into her cell afterward, doing what little I could to help her. Usually it was simply talking to her, taking her mind off the pain through simple conversations." He shook his mind to clear it of the unpleasant thoughts. "I know you said I could leave the basement, but I'm okay going back down there. I don't mind and I know you still don't trust me."

"I don't," Giles told him, "but she does. And that's enough for me. For now." He nodded at the thinly disguised threat.

"Is there anything I can do?" he asked earnestly.

"Actually there is," Giles told him, leading him into the little hospital room. They were still waiting on some equipment to be delivered, but they had what he needed. "We need some more blood. Buffy drank more than I was anticipating, although it was reluctantly done." Daniel nodded, hopping up on the bed and rolling up his sleeve.

"It was the one thing she was still fighting my father over," he told her as Giles expertly found a vein and inserted the needle. The second time they went over to Ben he had shown Giles how to take blood and sent them home with the equipment necessary. "She probably realized what drinking blood meant."

"It doesn't mean that here," Giles grumbled as he hooked up the bags and opened the valve. "I'm trying to help her."

"Deep down she knows that," Daniel told him, "but it's not something that you can give up easily. She knows you would never hurt her, but you're asking for the one thing she can't give. It will just take time on both sides."

"You know her very well," Giles said. Daniel shrugged.

"I spent a lot of time in her cell talking. After she was rescued was the best and worst time of my life." Giles nodded as he stopped the blood flow once they reached the level Ben recommended. He put a hand out to steady Daniel as he jumped down off the bed.

"Is Azeroth your father?" Giles asked bluntly. Daniel stilled, carefully turning to face the other man. Daniel slowly nodded.

"Are you going to kill me?" he asked cautiously. Giles studied him intently.

"Why are you really here?" he asked.

"I've never lied to you," Daniel answered. "I'm here to help Buffy, just like I said I was."

"You weren't completely honest with us either," Giles countered.

"If you had known, would you have ever given me a chance?" Daniel asked. Giles thought about that carefully. His immediate answer would have been no, but so many experiences with Buffy deciding to trust had opened his mind like never before. "Azeroth has wanted to conquer this world for a very long time. This is the third time he has called on his Horsemen, each time at very great personal cost. Demon's wearing the mantle were unprepared for humanity, humans no match for the Slayer. He thought having a demon-human hybrid was the solution. Add the strength of the Slayer and you have the ultimate weapon."

"How do I know you are not biding your time until Azeroth comes?" Giles asked him. "Waiting to betray us at the right time?"

"I would die before I betray Buffy," he told him honestly. "I am nothing like my family. My older brothers are pretty standard when it comes to hybrids, what little morality they were born with was easily crushed in the demonic realm. I am different."

"How?" Giles asked again.

"The Horsemen of Death is my twin sister," Daniel told him.

"What?" Giles gasped. Daniel nodded.

"Twins in demonic realms is rare. Something different happened with me and my sister. It's like most of the demon was sent to her, while most of the humanity was sent to me. She is more ruthless than any of my brothers, which is why she was chosen for the greatest honor as Death despite being the youngest. Meanwhile I can barely listen to a torture session without tearing up."

"Why doesn't Azeroth simply kill you?" Giles asked. "I doubt he feels any love or familial bond with you."

"I'm not entirely sure," Daniel admitted, "he didn't really talk to me much, but I think he kept me around as sort of an insurance policy. If one of the Horsemen fell he had me there to take their place." Giles took a deep breath before asking his next question.

"Who..."

"Wait," Daniel stopped him. "I will never lie to you or to any of your group directly. But if you're about to ask the question I think you're about to ask, you need to ask yourself if you're ready for the truth." Giles nodded and closed his mouth. He thought hard for a minute before offering Daniel a place to spend the night.

"You can take my bed tonight," he told the young man. Daniel nodded, slowly leaving the room while Giles carefully labeled the blood bags and put them in the fridge. He returned to the library and the group still discussing battle tactics, his mind not on the discussion, but on the girl and the demon currently resting upstairs.


	13. Chapter 13

Warnings and disclaimer in Chapter 1. Enjoy.

* * *

The next few days passed chaotically. Willow and Tara were able to cast a spell to hide Buffy from Azeroth, though they knew it couldn't last forever. The Horsemen took turns leading small groups of demons on rampaging sprees, which left everybody busy during the nights. Worse though, the demonic army was getting larger and larger. Ideas and strategies for handling the demonic army came and went.

A few hours before sunset Oz brought Mike and Rachel over, along with a few members of the Pack who had enough control to not change during the full moon. As promised Oz had passed the word for fighters and the response was overwhelming. Joyce insisted nobody underage would be allowed to fight, which Oz quickly agreed to, but there were still over twenty able bodied men and women who volunteered. They explained it was rare to find a group willing to help them out and wanted to help in any way they could. That didn't fly with Joyce. She gave them her patented 'Mom look' and they quickly told her the real reason. They were antsy and needed a good fight. That explanation made more sense to everybody, since almost everybody in both groups felt like that once or twice. Eventually it was decided the werewolves would cover two sides, the AI team would cover one, and the Scoobies would cover the last side.

Buffy, for the most part, stayed up in her room, either pacing or sitting against the wall. She made no move to be part of the team, and only got involved when someone went up and asked her a question. She was rarely alone though. Daniel stayed with her the whole time, and you could usually find Joyce or Giles up in her room. She had several more feedings, though none had been as traumatic as the first one.

"Knock, knock," Willow spoke as she poked her head through the open door. Buffy was leaning up against the wall. "Can I come in?" she asked, stepping into the doorway. Buffy shrugged, which Willow took for a yes. "I come bearing gifts of food," she said, as she began unloading several bags which she brought with her. Daniel was immediately intrigued. He was anxious to try everything here, much to everyone's amusement. He quickly began piling various dishes on the plates Willow brought up before heading back to the bed, a big grin on his face. Buffy simply looked on in resignation.

"Thanks Willow," he said as he dug into his feast. Willow quickly made herself a plate before turning to Buffy.

"Giles said you can have a cup of either broth or juice. Then if you're feeling up to it you can add some applesauce or yogurt."

"Yumm…" Buffy said unenthusiastically.

"You need to eat," Willow said, holding up the two bottles. Buffy just rolled her eyes. "Juice it is," she said triumphantly, pouring a cup from the bottle before placing them safely out of the way. She handed the cup to Buffy, watching as the Slayer tried to take a sip before handing it back.

"I can't," she said. Willow took it back quietly, routing through the bags for a small vial. She added a couple drops of demon blood to the drink then gave it back.

"I know you don't remember everything," she said, grabbing her plate and sitting next to the wall with her friend, "but this is my resolve face. When I put this face on it means I'm serious about doing something. Right now it means you will drink your juice."

"But," Buffy started to argue when Willow stopped her.

"Resolve face." She pointed to her stern face. Buffy stared for a minute, then began to laugh. Willow held her face for another minute before joining in.

"I remember that," Buffy said, once she had calmed down a bit. She took her juice and started to slowly sip it. Appeased, Willow started to eat her own dinner.

"Are you remembering more?" Willow asked.

"Some," Buffy admitted. "Mostly thoughts and feelings, certain events. Names are the hardest, but I don't want to insult anyone by asking what their name is."

"You can ask me anything and I won't get offended," Willow offered.

"Thanks," Buffy said, looking lost in thought before she refocused on her friend. "Your girlfriends name is Teri?"

"Tara," Willow corrected.

"Right. And Xander's fiancé is an ex demon?" Willow nodded. "How did that happen?"

"Anya was a vengeance demon. She came here a few years ago to do some vengeance thing to Xander, but we stopped her and broke her power center. When it broke she lost her demonic side and was forced to continue in the last form she took, which was a High School student. She went away for a bit but eventually came back for Xander. I'm not sure exactly how they became a couple." Buffy was nodding her head like she could remember parts of the story.

"And Tara thought she was a demon?" she asked.

"At one time she did, but that was just because her family lied to her for all her life and she didn't know any better. Once we figured it out she sent them packing and has been a Scooby ever since." Willow took a bite, studying her friend intently. "Why?"

"Do you think this group could ever accept a demon?" she asked, taking another sip of her juice. "Or even a half demon?" Willow laughed.

"Of course we could. Oz was accepted easily enough. Do you remember Oz?" Buffy shook her head. "He was a friend from High School. He was bit by a werewolf in our Junior year."

"The group that's here?" Buffy asked. She could hear the snarls coming from the basement with her super hearing, even asking Giles what was going on. It was the first time she had shown any interest in anything outside her room. Willow nodded.

"Then there's Spike, who is not only a vampire, but one of the most notorious vampires in history."

"And he's accepted in this group?" Buffy asked.

"This family," Willow corrected her, "and yes. It didn't happen overnight, but I think he's proved himself now. You once said it's the choices that we make that determine who we really are. Anyone is allowed to try, as long as they choose to try to be a better person and help people, which is what the Scoobies are all about." Again Buffy nodded her head. Willow cocked her head to the side. "Why?"

"Daniel," Buffy explained. He looked up at hearing his name but quickly went back to his dinner. "He's part demon, but he can't go back even if he wanted to. I just want to make sure he's taken care of, even if something happens to me. He's a good guy who deserves a chance."

"Nothing's going to happen to you Buffy," Willow reassured her, reaching her hand out to put it cautiously on her friend's knee. Buffy flinched slightly but allowed the contact.

"You don't know that," Buffy said realistically.

"No," Willow agreed, "but I do know that I and everyone here will do whatever we can to keep you safe." Buffy took a deep breath before giving Willow a genuine smile.

"Thanks Will," she said, taking the final sips of her juice. She surprised herself when she drank it all. She handed the empty cup to Willow, trying to keep the tremors out of her hands, but Willow noticed them. She reached into the bag and pulled out a plastic sports bottle. It was filled with a dark red liquid.

"It's time for your medicine," she said cheerily, trying to hand the bottle to the Slayer, but Buffy refused to take it.

"I hate this," she said. "I hate that he has so much control over me. I hate giving up what little control I do still have."

"I know," Willow said sympathetically.

"No you don't know," Buffy snapped, moving her body away from the wall and toward the bed. "You don't know what it's like craving one thing more than life itself but knowing if you let yourself have it then he wins. Feeling like you're going insane without it then the deepest shame when you get what you want."

"The feeling that nobody could possibly understand what you're going through," Willow said slowly. "The feeling that sometimes you would just throw everything away for one more taste then hating yourself even more because you had that one thought." Buffy looked at her curiously. "I know you don't remember, but a few months ago I realized I had a problem. I was addicted to magic. Anya, of all people, helped me see it for what it was, and the entire family helped me through it. Thankfully it wasn't as bad as it could have gotten if Anya hadn't said anything, and I know it's not nearly as bad as what you're going through, but you were there to help me and now I'm here to help you." She paused as she uncapped the bottle, the scent of blood filling the room. Daniel looked up curiously, while Buffy couldn't stop herself from leaning closer.

"The first thing you need to remember is we are not the demons who did this to you. You're not giving up ground by letting us help you with this. Don't think of it as giving up the last bit of control you have, think of it as taking back all the control you lost. And this is not some random amount that Giles picked out of a hat. This is a carefully regimented and studied record of you and your reactions. And if you ask me he has been taking his job of Watcher a little too seriously the last few days." Buffy grinned at that. Willow held out the bottle, but Buffy still made no move to take it. "Don't make me get my resolve face out again," she whined. Buffy smiled and grabbed the bottle.

"You promise?" she asked, sounding more like a little girl than the warrior Willow knew she was.

"Cross my heart," Willow replied. Buffy nodded and slowly drank the blood. It was a few minutes before it was gone. Nodding Willow took the empty bottle back. She began throwing everything back in her bags, getting ready to take it all back downstairs.

"Will?" Buffy asked just as Willow was getting ready to leave. "Is everybody here?"

"Faith and Spike are getting ready to head out on patrol," she told her.

"Stop them. I need to talk to everybody." Willow nodded and sprang from the room. Buffy sighed, slowly getting to her feet. She shared a quick look with Daniel before leaving her room, him one step behind her. She slowly walked to the library, unsurprised to find everyone there.

"You need to tell us something B?" Faith asked, casually picking at her nails with her favorite dagger.

"The war is almost here," she told them all, "so it's time I share what I know so you all can be better prepared. First the warehouse they are using for their army is not going to be Azeroth's lair. The warehouse is as much a distraction as the army is. Don't be surprised if they rig it to self-destruct once you are inside."

"So we can't go into the warehouse and we can't let them out of the warehouse?" Gunn clarified. "Just where are we supposed to fight these things?"

"The doors," Buffy told them. "These nightly raids are used to separate the weak from the strong. The strong will be with the Horsemen themselves. The weak will be in the warehouse. They won't be the fighters or the great thinkers, but they will have numbers on their side. The doors will be a funnel point. Don't be afraid to clog their points of exit, or even bring the warehouse down on top of them."

"Where are the Horsemen going to be?" Faith asked.

"At the Hellmouth," Buffy answered. "Which is where you, Spike, and Angel will be."

"What?" everyone asked at once. Buffy raised her hand and the group quieted down.

"The Horsemen are not demons themselves," she explained, "rather they are the personification of humanity's worst fears and weaknesses that are given to demons to strengthen them. The demons that currently wear that mantle use those fears against humanity. And even though humanity hasn't changed, an individual can conquer these traits." She turned to Faith.

"Faith, you need to battle War. War represents all the anger and hatred in the world. Overcome your own anger and you can beat him." She turned to Angel. "Conquest will be your fight. Conquest represents disillusionment and hopelessness. You've been brooding the last century but you're starting to pull yourself together. Overcome your past and you can beat him." She turned to Spike. "Famine is yours. Famine doesn't represent an emotional aspect like the War and Conquest, more a physical element. Famine are things our body's physically need, like food. I'm not sure how to help you prepare for that."

"I'll find a way love," he reassured her. Giles frowned.

"What about Death?" he asked.

"Leave Death to me," she said cryptically.

"So Death is here?" Anya asked bluntly. Buffy didn't answer. Instead she turned and lifted up her shirt. The new mark was clear to see, but it wasn't as deep as the other brands were. She put down her shirt and turned to face the group again.

"The Horsemen will try to bring Azeroth through the Hellmouth. They will be distracted and their powers will be drained for a short time. There is only one chance to end this before the end of the world starts."

"When?" Angel asked her. She got a faraway look in her eyes before refocusing on the vampire.

"You'll know," she said simply. "Azeroth has certain demonic abilities. He can control the elements. He can control thoughts and feelings to a certain extent. He can also teleport. His horsemen will also have these abilities, though not nearly as developed as Azeroth. If his Horsemen are able to summon him, he will immediately teleport to his lair, his Horsemen following him. There they will rest and regroup until they are strong enough to open the Hellmouth and bring his true army through. Then they will be unstoppable."

"Do you know where his lair is?" Wesley asked. Buffy shook her head.

"It will be underground, near a mystical outlet."

"Which pretty much means it's gonna be somewhere in Sunnydale," Cordelia scoffed. "Needle meet haystack."

"Which is why we need to stop them before they are able to summon Azeroth," Buffy agreed.

"Okay, stupid question here," Xander started, "but if they're gonna summon this impossible to kill demon, should we really be worried about the army in the warehouse? Shouldn't all our attention be on the Hellmouth?"

"No," she told him, "if there's that much scrutiny on the Hellmouth they'll simply wait to summon Azeroth after we're all dead. Even without the Horsemen's strength they are still incredibly powerful demons that will be nearly as impossible to kill as Azeroth. Only when their strength is depleted and bound to the portal will you really be able to kill them."

"It is an awfully risky proposition Buffy," Giles said softly. "Are you sure there isn't another way?"

"I'm sure," she said, looking him directly in the eye. "I have thought of nothing more than killing him for the last twenty years. I know him better than I know myself. This is the only opportunity we'll have." Giles broke eye contact first, nodding grudgingly.

"Should we still patrol?" Faith asked uncertainly. Buffy nodded.

"It won't be tonight," she said, "but use this time to carefully think how to beat your enemy. You'll need to be mentally prepared before we engage them. There won't be a lot of time for soul searching once the fight starts." Faith and the vampires nodded.

"And you pet?" Spike asked as the group began talking about all they just learned.

"I'll be there whether I want to or not," she said cryptically as she turned and walked out of the room. "And I've already conquered Death."


	14. Chapter 14

Warnings and disclaimer in Chapter 1. Enjoy.

* * *

"Buffy?" Giles knocked quietly on the open door. "May I?"

"Sure," she said, not getting up from her position reclining on the wall. Giles joined her, sliding down the wall until he was next to her. He glanced up to see Daniel perched comfortably on the bed.

"That was an impressive speech you gave," he told her, stretching out his long legs in front of him. Buffy just shrugged. "You know Azeroth extremely well," he said, not asking a question but making a statement.

"For years he was the only one that would talk to me," she told him. "Never as an equal, of course. I would crave his presence. It became another way to break me." He was quiet for a few minutes before turning his head to look at her.

"Have you ever heard the term 'Stockholm Syndrome' before?" he asked delicately. Buffy laughed.

"Relax Giles. I'm not worshiping him or secretly in love with him. I got over him a long time ago. Now there's nothing but burning hatred."

"I am relieved to hear that," he told her truthfully, "but I feel it would be foolish to enter into combat against him and his Horsemen without at least acknowledging that he has hurt you in the past. That he has some hold over you. Even if it's just to yourself." Buffy nodded, his words making her think about their past relationship.

"It was Daniel," she said out of the blue. "When he was just a child he would sneak into my cell and we would just talk. His innocence, even in that place, reminded me of home. It loosened whatever hold Az had on me to a point I don't think he realizes."

"Then you have my thanks," Giles told the young man. Daniel just nodded. They sat together for a long time, Giles shifting uncomfortably, until Buffy finally huffed.

"What is it Giles?" He didn't answer right away and instead looked to Daniel.

"Would you mind giving us some privacy?" he asked him kindly. Daniel nodded, leaving the room and quietly shutting the door behind him. He turned and saw his Slayer looking him in the eyes. "I am concerned."

"About me," she finished.

"Spike told me how he defeated the other Slayers he fought. He told me about the…"

"Death wish," Buffy finished. Giles nodded.

"Do you have one?" he asked after a few minutes. Buffy sighed.

"Maybe," she admitted. "I mean, I don't think so, but then you really can't know until you are in the middle of battle." He frowned.

"Buffy. If you are not completely committed to returning from this battle then you won't."

"But I am," she insisted. "At least I think I am." She growled, banging her head against the wall in frustration. "It's all coming out wrong. Blame my lack of social skills on my near constant isolation for the last twenty plus years."

"It's okay," he said, putting his arm around her shoulders slowly. When she didn't object he pulled her closer to him, letting her lean on his chest. "Go slowly and start at the beginning." He felt her nod.

"I don't really remember being rescued," she admitted. "The last thing I remember is the ritual. There are a few flashed here and there, mostly feeling scared and trapped and in pain. The next thing I remember is seeing you and mom right after I drank from Daniel. God. I never wanted you guys to find out about that."

"We don't look down on you for that," he reminded her. "It's not your fault."

"And I know that," she told him, "I just can't feel that. Not yet. It's too soon."

"Give it time," he said knowingly. She nodded.

"Coming back was hard," she admitted. "I did want to die for a minute there, but you and mom kept me going. And it started getting better. I relearned or remembered things I didn't even know I forgot. I'm not saying things are perfect or anything, but it's much better than it was and I know it will only get better. So I don't think I have a death wish. Does that make sense?"

"It does," he told her.

"Giles?" she asked suddenly.

"Yes?"

"If something does happen to me, will you be okay?" Giles frowned.

"I thought we agreed you didn't have a death wish?"

"I don't," she quickly reassured him, "but this will be a very dangerous battle and despite doing everything I can to make it out alive I might die. I've lived the Hell that's trying to create. And if I can stop it I will, even if the cost is my life."

"Buffy," he groaned.

"I'm not saying I won't try my hardest to come back safe and sound. But Slayers have a short life span for a reason. This might be my final battle."

"You mustn't think like that," he admonished her. She grew silent again before turning her head to look him in the eye.

"Will you?" she asked again. "I'm not being morbid or anything. I just need to know. Willow has Tara. Xander has Anya. Mom has Dawn. But you're by yourself."

"You are forgetting that we are all a family," he reminded her. "I have everyone you just named, just like they all have me. If our family was to lose any of its members, we would grieve as a family and help each other through it." He could feel her muscles relaxing as she started drifting off to sleep.

"Tell me a story," she asked sleepily.

"What do you want to hear?" he asked her, his fingers starting to comb through her hair.

"Hmmm. How did you become my Watcher?" He chuckled lightly.

"Quite an intriguing and scandalous tale," he started. "Are you sure you want to hear it?" She nodded. "Very well. At the Council Headquarters in London there is a book."

"There's always a book," Buffy couldn't resist adding.

"Oh but this one is Magical," Giles told her. "A list of names on one page with a blank page on the other. Whenever a Slayer is called her name is added to the list. There is a spell the Council has that will pair a Watcher with the Slayer. The name or names of the best suited Watchers for the Slayer appear on the opposite page."

"There's more than one name?" she asked.

"It's not an exact science," he told her. "Finding the right Watcher is key to a Slayers success and sometimes it takes more than one try. If the Slayer was one of the potential Slayers the Council already found there is usually just one name, the name of the Watcher raising them. The bond is already there and it is rarely disrupted. If the girl Called was not discovered by the Council there's usually three to four names listed."

"How many names did I have?" she asked.

"One," he told her. "That didn't sit to well with Quentin. Do you remember my darker past?" Her brow furrowed but after a minute she nodded her head. "Quentin wasn't too keen on letting me back in and he vowed never to give me a Slayer. When my name was linked to yours he was put in a very tough position. He chose to ignore the spell, as it had been wrong before, and instead assigned Merrick to be your Watcher."

"Why?" she asked, feeling slightly more awake as he talked. "I mean from what I can remember Merrick was okay and all, but I don't think we ever connected. Not like we have."

"You might have, had he lived longer. Quentin justified his decision by deciding that an untrained Slayer needed a more experienced hand than I had. Merrick's reports to the Council confirmed Quentin's justification. Then something unexpected happened."

"He died because of me," Buffy said sadly.

"He died for you," Giles corrected. "As Watchers we understand eventually our Slayers will die and we will live. It is the natural order of things and the heavy burden we must bear. For a Watcher to sacrifice himself for a Slayer is rare."

"Why did he do it?" she asked, snuggling closer to Giles.

"He saw something in you," he said proudly. "They say his final report to the Council was extremely unexpected. I have yet to see it myself. I believe Quentin expected you to die fighting Lothos, but you ultimately won. They performed the spell again and once again my name was the only one to show up. He couldn't think of a reason not to send me that time and so reluctantly he assigned me as you Watcher."

"And the rest is history," she yawned loudly. He carefully picked her up, placing her on the bed she had yet to sleep in. "We make a pretty good team," she said dreamily.

"Yes we do," he said as he pulled the covers over her body, tucking her in securely. She reached out and grabbed his hand as he pulled away.

"If something happens to me what will you do?" she asked curiously, but without the sense of despair she had earlier. "Will you be a Watcher to another Slayer? Maybe Faith? Will there be another Slayer called if I die?"

"I don't know. Having two Slayers is unheard of. I don't know if another will be called when you die or if the Slayer line lies with Faith now. Personally, I don't think I could ever be a Watcher to another Slayer. It would be too painful. Too many memories of you. And Faith," he shook his head slightly. "We have too much bad history for me to ever fully trust her like I trust you."

"Would you quit the Council?" she asked, her eyes starting to close. "You're too good to lose."

"Tell you what. If you die a natural death, then I promise I won't quit the Council."

"Deal," she said as her eyes finally closed. He carefully tucked her hand under the blanket before opening the door. He was expecting to find Daniel lurking in the hallway, but was shocked at the sight of Faith casually chatting with him.

"She's asleep," he told them quietly.

"About damn time," Faith said, just as quietly before glaring at the Watcher. "You don't think we would make a good team?" she asked.

"Do you?" he countered. Faith thought about it for a moment then grinned.

"Nope. Too much bad blood there." She then got serious for a moment. "But if I ever needed a Watcher I could trust…"

"You can always call me," he reassured her. "Day or night. I can't work with you on a day to day basis, but I will never abandon you to your fate."

"Thanks Giles. Now maybe you should get some sleep too."

* * *

"Giles?" Buffy asked timidly, stepping into the library where Giles was researching. It was early the next morning. Everybody else was either out patrolling or in bed.

"Yes?" he asked casually, though he could see the sweat on her forehead and the slight tremor in her hands. She looked at him expectantly before sighing.

"I need some more," she admitted, hanging her head in shame. He got up and took her hands in his, lifting her chin with a finger until she looked at him.

"There is no shame in that," he told her gently. He held her gaze until she nodded. "Come on." He led her into their makeshift hospital room and over to the locked refrigerated units.

"You keep this stuff under lock and key?" she asked as Giles took out a bag.

"It is extremely dangerous," he told her as he measured out her next dose. "I don't want anyone to accidentally drink any."

"Or intentionally drink too much," she responded. He merely raised an eyebrow as he held out her drink. She took it and closed her eyes before chugging it. "It tastes awful."

"Do you want it to taste better?" he asked amused. She shook her head. He handed her a glass of water, but she made no move to grab it. "You need more," he said after a few minutes when her shaking didn't subside. He measured out another amount, but this time mixed it with the water before giving it to her.

"You're evil Giles," she said, but she reached out to take the watered blood. She slowly sipped the water. "What were you researching?"

"The Bloodsharing Ritual Azeroth was using." He searched her face carefully for any hint of distress, but she just watched him.

"I knew you'd figure it out."

"Do you want me to share it with the others?" he asked carefully. She shook her head.

"Not until they figure it out. Or at least some of them. From what I remember you might have to explain it to Xander." He laughed as she finished the last of her water, her shakes finally diminishing. She held the glass out to him.

"Do you need more?" he asked, watching her carefully. She shook her head, but continued to stand there after he took the glass back. "Was there something else you need?" She shuffled her feet uncomfortably.

"Do you think we could train?" she asked after a minute. He looked at her critically.

"Do you think you're up for it?" She shrugged.

"I'm getting restless," she admitted, "but I don't think I'm up for patrolling yet." He watched her for several minutes before relenting.

"Fine, in the morning after you've gotten at least five hours of sleep, I'll ask Xander to hang the bag."

"Five?" she asked before rolling her eyes at the unreasonable demand. "Fine. But that goes for you too."

"Fine," he told her, closing the book and tucking it under his arm. She shook her head.

"You take that book up and you're not going to sleep," she said knowingly.

"Would you rather I left it here for Wesley to find in the morning?" he asked.

"Oh. Good point," she said, following him up the stairs. He led her to her room, which she reluctantly entered. "Giles." She reached out to grab his hand as he turned to go to his own room. "Can you stay with me? Just until I fall asleep? Maybe you can read your book in here?"

"Nightmares?" he asked knowingly. She looked down at her feet but nodded her head. "Of course," he told her, following her into the room. He noticed Daniel asleep in the corner.

"Beds are still new to him," she said, tugging off her top. He turned to give her privacy, but she didn't even care. Her pants quickly followed, but Giles didn't turn back until he was sure she was decent. Once he heard her climb into bed he kicked off his shoes and joined her, staying on top of the covers while she climbed underneath. He turned on her bedside light and settled down to read, surprised when she curled into him. He put his arm around her and held her while she slept. He didn't realize he fell asleep until he felt her leave the bed. He sat up groggily.

"Good morning," Daniel said from the corner.

"What?" he asked before he looked at his watch and groaned. "Did Buffy at least get some sleep?"

"Some," Daniel told him. "For the most part she just laid in your arms. She must really feel safe with you. I don't know anyone else she would do that with." Giles nodded, stretching out his muscles. "She asked Xander to hang the bag," he told the Watcher.

"What?" Giles asked. "How did Xander get in here?" Daniel pointed to the open doorway. Giles groaned as he realized everyone who walked down the hallway saw him in bed with Buffy. Grumbling, he got off the bed and made his way to his own room. A quick shower and a change of clothes and he felt slightly more human again. He went downstairs to find Joyce making breakfast. He cringed when he realized she undoubtedly checked on her daughter during the night and would have seen them together.

"Good morning," she greeted cheerily, a twinkling in her eyes. She handed him a cup of tea.

"Nothing happened," he blurted. She smiled.

"I know," she reassured him, "but something did happened. She didn't have any nightmares. The first time in a long time." She put a plate of pancakes and eggs in front of him.

"Thank you," he said, reaching for a fork. He looked up when the sounds of training reached him. Glancing at his watch he looked at the time. Five hours on the dot.

"She's training again," Joyce said offhandedly.

"She is getting restless," he explained. "Her Slayer side could never sit still."

"Do you think it's too early?" Joyce worried. Giles shrugged.

"It's her idea. We just have to trust her instincts." Joyce reluctantly nodded.

"I was just hoping that she would get a little break from it all," she admitted. "Get used to being a girl before she had to become the Slayer again."

"We both know life isn't fair," Giles comforted as best he could. "Once the battle is over she can get used to being a girl again. I won't push her for any more than she is willing to give." Joyce nodded and began cleaning up the plate that Giles realized he had finished. He took his tea and the book he was reading and went downstairs to watch. He wasn't the only one he realized. Faith was holding the bag while Buffy punched. Dawn, Anya, and Xander watched while Willow and Tara prepared some spells they thought would help the warehouse group.

"I gotta say B," Faith said as she held the bag still after a series of punches, "you're technique has gone to hell."

"Funny," Buffy said, throwing another series of punches.

"She's right," Giles said as he joined the group at the table. "You keep dropping your left shoulder."

"What?" Buffy asked, stopping temporarily to glare at her Watcher.

"When you throw your punch you drop your left shoulder," he repeated. "It leaves your left side completely exposed and vulnerable to a counter attack."

"I'm not training," Buffy complained. "I'm just exercising. I can drop my shoulder if I want to."

"Right," Faith said from her position behind the bag. "Whatever you say." Buffy snarled and began punching the bag again. Faith moved from her position and gave the blonde Slayer a quick jab to her left shoulder. Not hard enough to hurt her, but Buffy was forced to take a few steps back to stay on her feet.

"Told you," Giles said, not looking up from the book he was reading. Buffy huffed and went back, this time keeping her shoulder up. Faith held the bag steady, occasionally throwing out pointers she could see. Giles did the same thing, forcing Buffy to improve whether she wanted to or not. It was mid afternoon before Buffy tired out, grabbing the bag and sagging against it.

"Giles," she whispered. He was at her side instantly. He could feel the tremors racing through her body.

"I think it's a good time to take a break and get some lunch," he told everybody. They grumbled as they walked passed them to go upstairs. Faith threw them a concerned glance, but she followed his unspoken request, leaving the Slayer alone with her Watcher. "We waited too long didn't we," he told her as he scooped her up and carried her over to the couch.

"I thought I could just work through it," she admitted. He nodded, understanding her desire to just ignore what was happening with her.

"I'll be right back," he told her. She acknowledged him and he raced up the stairs and to the hospital room, grabbing the blood packs before rejoining her. He quickly measured the amount and gave it to her, surprised when she took it and drank it without any fuss. He sat down next to her and watched as her tremors slowly stopped. "Will you be able to fight Azeroth?" he asked her gently. "Will you be ready?"

"Won't matter if I'm ready or not," she told him. "He's coming and I'm still key to his plan."

"And will Daniel be ready to fight?" he asked knowingly. She smiled.

"He doesn't let his demon out very often, but when he does it's a sight to behold. The others are afraid of him, even the Horsemen. Even as a little boy they were frightened."

"He said he got a double dose of humanity," Giles told her, watching her face carefully.

"That's one way to look at it," she agreed before becoming serious again. "He knows what part he has to play and he's ready. He's ready to prove himself."

"To his father?" Giles asked. Buffy shot him a hard look.

"To his family," she finally said, "and to himself." Giles nodded before getting to his feet.

"Let's see if they left us any lunch," he told her, pulling her to her feet as well.

"I'm not really hungry," she told him, withering under the glare he gave her. "I mean I'm really hungry," she changed hastily.

"Nicely played," he said as he led her upstairs.


	15. Chapter 15

Warnings and disclaimer in Chapter 1. Enjoy.

* * *

Joyce had sandwich fixings out so everybody could make their own sandwich. Giles quickly made himself one while Joyce faced Buffy. "Applesauce or yogurt sweetie?" she asked.

"I'm not really hungry," she tried again, only to be glared at by her mother. "Applesauce," she relented. Joyce nodded, scooping a small amount into a bowl before adding one drop of blood. She placed the bowl and a glass of juice in front of her daughter. "The juice?" Buffy asked when her Mom didn't add any blood.

"Try," Joyce encouraged. Buffy sighed, reaching for the juice. It was the hardest thing she ever did, but she was able to take a sip of the untainted drink. "Maybe it's too soon?" Joyce asked Giles, but Buffy shook her head.

"No," she said. "I want to try something." She took a small spoonful of applesauce and placed it in her mouth, shuffling it around with her tongue until it was spread evenly. Then without swallowing she reached for the juice, taking a gulp before putting it down. She was able to swallow the mixture.

"That looks like one of Dawn's delicacies," Joyce said, barely able to keep the grimace off her face.

"It tastes like one too," Buffy said, reaching for another spoonful of applesauce. "But it worked." She continued like that until the applesauce was gone, leaving a small amount of juice in her glass. She stared at it hatefully.

"Buffy," Joyce said calmly, reaching for the glass and bowl. "You don't need to finish it. You did amazing getting this far."

"No," she said, holding onto the glass for dear life. "I'm done letting him rule my life. I'm taking control back." It took another ten minutes, but she was able to finish the last few sips of juice. Faith entered just as Joyce finally took the cup away.

"We still got a few hours until sunset. Want to work with some pads now? I promise I'll go easy on ya." Buffy nodded and the two of them went back downstairs, Joyce following after a few minutes. Buffy wasn't ready to see everyone waiting for her.

"If it's too much just say the word," Joyce said, coming up behind them and putting her hands gently on her daughter's shoulders.

"I just need a minute," she said, taking a few deep breathes before entering the room. She saw the Scoobies grinning at her as they pretended to read the books they brought. She saw Spike and Angel off to the side, watching her every move carefully, almost as carefully as Giles was. It finally dawned on her what was going on. "I take it this is officially a training session?" she asked her Watcher.

"I think you're ready," he said simply, leaving it up to her if she wanted to continue or not. She nodded, heading to where Faith was getting her pads on. She stopped at the vampires.

"If I train the Slayer's gonna come out," she told them loud enough for everybody to hear. "I don't know if I can control her." Spike smirked.

"Don't worry, love. We won't let you hurt anyone."

"Thanks," she told him before turning to Angel. "Where are your people?"

"Out setting traps at the warehouse," he told her as he helped her get into her own padding. Faith promised she wouldn't try and hurt the other Slayer, but there was no sense in not being careful. "Fred likes to invent stuff and she came up with a bunch of traps she thought could be useful." Buffy nodded before turning to Faith.

"Ready B?" Faith asked, stepping out onto a large mat Buffy never noticed before. She glanced nervously at Giles, who nodded encouragingly.

"Ready." Buffy took her place on the mat. They started small, Giles instructing them on their punches and kicks. Buffy was rusty, but quickly remembered how to do this. The Slayer was slowly merging with the girl again, but she never lost control.

"Have you mastered War?" Buffy asked, doing a punch kick combination Giles called out.

"I'm here letting you whale on me doing punches I mastered before being Called," she said, "and I'm fine with that. I think I've mastered my anger management problem."

"Good," Buffy said as Giles told Faith to attack so Buffy could practice blocking. "Just remember when you see him your feelings will be magnified."

"I'm on it," she said as she blocked Buffy's counterattack. She threw another punch, wincing as it connected with the blonde. "I'm five by five. You?"

"Great," she said as she managed to block the next few punches before one of Faith's kicks made it passed her defenses and she hit the mat. Faith offered her a hand and helped Buffy to her feet while Giles threw out his observations. Faith tried the move again and this time Buffy was able to block it. Giles called a break, handing a water bottle to Faith, who was barely sweating. Buffy on the other hand had sweat coming off her in droves. "You're holding back," Buffy observed.

"You're not ready to go full Slayer on Slayer," Faith told her. She held the water out to Buffy, but she just waved it away.

"And I won't get there if you keep holding back." Faith looked at Giles who merely shrugged.

"You sure?" she asked once again.

"Sure," Buffy said, taking her place on the mat. Faith took a final swig of the water than tossed it to Giles. She took her place.

"Say the word and I'll stop," she told the blonde Slayer. Buffy nodded as the two of them started circling each other. Buffy struck first, a punching combination that Faith easily blocked. It left Buffy's right side open and Faith stopped herself from taking advantage.

"Faith," Buffy whined.

"You left yourself open," Faith realized. "To see what I would do."

"You said you weren't going to hold back." Buffy once again began circling Faith.

"Okay," she said, "if that's how you want to play this." Buffy once again attacked, leaving her left side open and Faith threw her first punch. She didn't put her entire strength in it, but it was still enough to drop the Slayer to the mat. Buffy jumped to her feet, grinning. "How's that Blondie?"

"Great." Buffy attacked again, this time managing to connect with Faith. The fight continued, the two throwing harder and harder hits as time grew on. Those watching could easily tell when the Slayer took over. Buffy's hits became streamlined forcing Faith to concentrate on the fight to not get hit. Eventually something snapped in Buffy and she was fighting like never before.

"Buffy?" Giles called but one look at her blank eyes told everyone she was gone. Faith went on the defensive, blocking every one of Buffy's attacks, but she held up her hand when the vampires moved to intercede. "Buffy!" Giles called louder, but with the same result as before. Eventually one of Buffy's attacks connected and Faith went down hard. Buffy raised her fist to deliver the death blow, but once again Faith waved the vampires back.

"B?" Faith asked cautiously as she lay on the mat with Buffy poised to strike above her. Buffy stared at her as reason slowly entered her eyes again. Her fist unclenched and she helped the dark Slayer to her feet. "Buffy," Faith started cautiously. "I'm worried about you. You know that line you all think I like to cross? I know I've crossed it a time or two, but right now you and that line are on different sides of the world." Buffy clenched and unclenched her fists.

"It's all I've got right now," she admitted.

"And I think it's amazing," a voice called out that nobody had ever heard before. The group looked back to see War casually walking through the basement door. "I wouldn't," he said as they reached for their weapons, a fireball slowly forming in his hand. "I'm not sure who I would get but I'm sure I would get someone." They reluctantly stopped and he let his fireball dissipate. "It's a good thing for you I'm not here to fight. That wild, uncaged rage really lit me up." Faith made a move to step forward but Buffy held her back.

"It's time," she said softly. Faith looked at her in understanding before backing down. Buffy turned to face the intruders. "They're not here to fight," she said loud enough for everyone to hear. "And they won't unless we do something rash." War smirked as he stepped out of the doorway, followed by Conquest and Famine.

"Well spoken," Death said as she stepped between her brothers.

"Death is a girl?" Xander shouted, unable to help himself. Death glared and stepped over to teach him some respect when Daniel stepped between them.

"Leave them alone," he said assertively. Death smirked, looking between him and the rest of the room.

"I see you found what you were looking for Brother," she laughed as a quiet gasp was heard going through the room. "You always were a momma's boy. Weak and undeserving."

"They're stronger than you'll ever know," he told her. "In ways you can't even begin to understand."

"And weak in ways I can," she said, surveying the room closely. She strolled around the room, stopping in front of every person until she stood in front of Buffy. "Hello Mother."

"There is nothing here for you," Buffy said calmly. "You don't belong here. Go back to the Hell you crawled out of."

"Oh if I could," she said longingly. "This world is horrible. How can you stand it?"

"Because it's my home," Buffy said proudly.

"It soon will be ours," Death countered. "And you're right. I don't belong here. But there is something I need." She looked down on Buffy. "You never completed the ritual. How can we bring father here if you don't complete the ritual?"

"I will never complete it," Buffy said determinedly. Death just laughed.

"That's what father said you would say," she smiled sweetly. "He was ready to give up. All his hard work down the drain simply because a group of traitors was able to rescue the Slayer. But then I reminded him of your weakness. A whole roomful of weakness," she said as she looked at the people scattered around her.

"You're wrong about them," Buffy said calmly. "They're my strength."

"They got you captured," Death observed. Buffy shook her head.

"Being the Slayer got me captured," Buffy countered. "A Slayer protects the innocent. An innocent doesn't give me a second thought. They just run until they're somewhere safe and then they get on with their lives. But these people are different. They won't leave me to my fate. They'll fight with me and for me, whether I want them to or not. They give me the strength to keep fighting. Strength they share with each other on a daily basis. By targeting them you bring not only my wrath down, but theirs as well. And I don't envy anyone, demon or human, that incurs the wrath of this group."

"We could always kill them," War said from his position by the doorway. "Make a statement to anyone who thinks they can stop us."

"If you kill them I'll never cooperate," Buffy said harshly. "And if I don't cooperate you'll never get your battle." Death hesitated before approaching.

"Who said anything about killing?" Death asked as she drew her finger seductively down Buffy's cheek. Buffy jerked away at the contact. "You do remember our talks don't you? It was just yesterday for you, but I've gotten much better."

"Don't!" Buffy whispered, growing pale.

"Who shall it be?" Death continued, circling around Buffy to whisper in her ear. "So many choices. Maybe I'll let you choose."

"No," Buffy pleaded. "Please."

"Hmmm. Maybe I'll just start with the youngest." She motioned to War, who began slowly heading toward Dawn. Dawn looked petrified, but stood her ground.

"I'll do it," Buffy said quietly. At her signal War stopped. "I'll do it. But not here. Not where they will be your first victims."

"I'm okay with them being our second victims," War said suggestively, but he backed off. Death grabbed Buffy, roughly dragging her through the room.

"We still need insurance," she said as she rejoined her Brothers. "Just in case mother decides to change her mind."

"Take me," Daniel said, stepping closer. "Leave them out of it. This is a family thing." Buffy was shaking her head.

"Father was wondering what happened to the Fourth Son," Conquest said looking between the two of them. "Mother obviously cares about him."

"We can always come back and get another one if we need to," Famine added. Death looked unconvinced. "As he said. This is a family thing. And I doubt he will be able to do anything to stop us."

"Fine," Death relented, pulling Buffy out the door. "If you're smart you'd stay right here." War smirked as he led Daniel up the stairs. The others waited a minute before joining them.

"We must move quickly," Giles said after giving them enough time to leave. "We have very little time." That broke everybody out of their shock.

"You knew?" Joyce asked as she helped Xander load up weapons. "You knew Daniel was her son?"

"I suspected," he told her, "though neither Buffy nor Daniel ever directly confirmed my suspicions."

"What else do you suspect Watcher?" Spike asked, truly angry with Giles for the first time. Giles cringed at the malice in his voice. "Is Buffy going to face Death?" Everyone quieted enough to hear his answer.

"No," he told them. "Daniel is. Buffy is going to face Azeroth." He held up the book he had been extremely protective of the last few days. "I assumed the rituals we were looking for were related to sharing of blood, but the truth is they are related through common blood."

"But the ritual we interrupted," Angel started, "was a Bloodsharing ritual."

"Yes," Giles agreed, "but that was only to give the Horsemen her strength. To activate the aspect of humanity the Horsemen were given. They need to complete that ritual to allow the Horsemen of Death to come to full power. Then they will call to Azeroth using their own blood to call his. That is how Azeroth will return to this world."

"How do we stop it?" Faith asked. Her mind was reeling with these new developments, but she quickly pushed them to a corner to deal with the crisis at hand. "I'm assuming you know the ritual they're going to use to call dad."

"Yes," he said, fingering the book one more time. "They will use their own blood to call to his. You must let them start the ritual. Once the ritual has been started it will use their strength until either the ritual is complete or they are dead."

"But if they die won't that mean Buffy dies?" Spike asked. "Aren't they using her strength?"

"They are," Giles said, as the group gathered the rest of their supplies. "But I believe Buffy and Daniel are going to complete the Bloodsharing ritual as well. He's going to give her some of his strength, which the others will not be able to touch. At least I think that's her plan."

"You think?" Spike growled, letting his demon out. "Didn't you guys talk about this master plan of hers?"

"Indirectly," Giles said, leading the group from the basement. He turned to the Scoobies. "You will need to head over to the warehouse. If the ritual is about to start that means the war is here."

"No!" Xander said.

"That was your assigned place," Giles reminded him.

"Yeah, but that was before," Xander said. "Back when Buffy was at home in her mother's arms worrying if we'd return. Now we know she intentionally is walking into the mouth of Hell. That means we are too."

"Exactly," Anya agreed, standing by her fiancé. Giles went to argue but Willow beat him to it.

"Resolve face," she said, pointing slightly. Tara was nodding as well. Giles sighed as he led the group outside to the vehicles. Night had fallen so the vampires followed.

"Joyce?" Giles asked as she climbed into her car.

"It's my daughter and my grandson," she said, twisting the small sword on her lap nervously, "and the rest of my family. I'm going."

"If you go I go," Dawn said, climbing behind her mother. Joyce and Giles shared a hard look, but eventually Joyce backed down.

"Fine," she said, "but you're staying in the back with me. We're protecting Willow and Tara. That's all."

"I'm good with that," she said smugly, brandishing her own sword. Giles rolled his eyes.

"We still need to warn Angel's people that the war is about to start," he said.

"I can do that." He turned to see Oz walking calmly up the drive. "There was something in the air. I came to see if you were feeling it to."

"I do," Spike said, staring at the werewolf intently. Oz shrugged.

"I guess it's time. I'll alert the Pack. We have the warehouse covered. Go save your Alpha." Giles nodded, as everyone climbed into a car. Oz walked back down the drive, halfway down changing into the wolf and running, calling out as he went.

"He really does have control," Angel commented, as answering howls were soon filling up the night. Confident the warehouse was taken care of, he climbed in next to Spike. "Let's go," he said as the cars were soon making their way back to Sunnydale High.


	16. Chapter 16

Warnings and disclaimer in Chapter 1. Enjoy.

* * *

They arrived just as Death was finishing the ritual. Demons were stationed at all entrances of the ruined school, but they were able to sneak around using their knowledge of the layout of the late Sunnydale High. They arrived outside the library in time to hear Buffy screaming. "Quiet!" Giles admonished as the vampires started growling at the sound. They quickly controlled themselves and the group was able to sneak in until they could see what was happening.

The Horsemen formed a circle around the Hellmouth, just like what Faith described when War first came. Buffy was in the center, perilously close to the drop that led to the Hellmouth. Her shirt was ripped off and they could see all four brands glowing as if they were on fire. Daniel was next to her, holding her hand carefully and doing what little he could to ease her pain. Death was next to her, blood dripping from her mouth as she felt the power surge through her body. The brands eventually calmed. Buffy quieted and felt her body relax as the pain was muted. Death looked down on her captives. "I could kill you with a touch," she mocked them. "Soon you'll wish I had." She left them and took her place in the circle. The Four Horsemen began chanting.

"Remember they must start the ritual," Giles reminded them.

"How do we know when they start?" Spike asked, eager to start the fight.

"I'm guessing the whole rooms gonna be one big flame," Faith answered. "Just like before." Giles nodded. They watched as War finished his chant, slashing his palm on a knife. When the blood dripped on his prepared altar it burst into flame, the fiery symbol hovering in the air above him. They winced as they saw the symbol burning even brighter than before on Buffy's back.

"Demons!" Xander shouted over the firestorm. The demons, unconsciously moving toward the incredible power the Horsemen were releasing, saw the group and immediately charged. Xander and Anya countered, with some magical help from Willow and Tara. The first group was easily dispatched, but another followed as Conquest completed his part of the ritual. Soon everyone was fighting the demons, who were drawn to the power the Hellmouth was putting off.

"Now?" Faith screamed over the chaos that erupted around them. Willow and Tara were casting their own spells, and soon everybody was fighting anything that moved. Faith blocked a lunge, grinning when she realized it was Angel. He grinned too, and the two of them fought back to back. Famine finished his part and another flame engulfed the room. Buffy couldn't hold back her scream anymore, and everybody cringed at the sound she was making.

"You'll have a split second when Death finishes before they realize we're here," Giles said, slicing through the demons to get to their side. Spike followed his lead.

"How long until Azeroth gets here?" Spike asked, ripping the head off a demon unlucky enough to get to close.

"I don't know," Giles admitted, "but until he does they are stuck here and they are weakened. Once Azeroth arrives they will all teleport away. We can't let that happen."

"Right," Faith said. She did one of the hardest things she ever had to do. She turned her back on the fight, striding over to where War was standing. She stood right in front of him, not even trying to hide. He was clearly still enthralled by the spell they were doing so she did the second hardest thing she ever did. She waited. She could tell Angel and Spike were doing the same thing with their assigned opponents. She took the opportunity to study him, and even through his magical haze she could feel what Buffy meant by him amplifying her own weaknesses. Luckily by the time Death was nearing the end of her chant she had found her center.

The fourth plume of fire shot overhead as Death finished. The four symbols burned brighter than ever as the fires joined directly over the Hellmouth. The portal started opening. Faith drew her knife back, knowing the moment was seconds away. Buffy howled even more desperately than before. Faith let her arm fly. It connected with War just as he was opening his eyes. He took the hit square in the chest and fell back. Conquest and Famine also fell back with their own hits. Faith knew it was enough to kill a normal demon, but she hoped it weakened him enough so she could finish him. "Kumbaya Bitch," she said as they began fighting.

She could see Angel and Spike fighting their own Horsemen. Occasionally she caught a glimpse of the massive battle that surrounded them. She even once saw the prone form of her sister Slayer, her back ablaze as the spell sapped her strength along with the Horsemen's. But her world narrowed on the Horseman of War. She found herself fighting with an inner calm she didn't even know she possessed. His moves were fueled by anger and passion, and she found herself countering them easily. Soon he was on the ground, cowering before her, when she felt Death approach. She looked behind her, unable to move as Death walked regally over. Death raised a hand, her fingers mere inches away from Faith when suddenly she was knocked aside.

"Stay away from her," Daniel screamed as he began fighting Death. Faith turned back to War, who had used the distraction to regain his footing. They started fighting once again, but she had lost that inner calm and couldn't find it again. She still was the Slayer though, and she fought War better than anyone.

Famine was the first to fall. There was little he could do against a vampire who had no physical needs except for blood, which no longer held him as it used to. Spike was more than a match for the demon beneath as well. Spike literally ripped the heart out of the demon, using the axe he brought to cut the organ from the shrieking demon. Once the demon was dead at his feet Spike surveyed the room. The symbol of Famine had faded from the room, the fiery plume evaporating as quickly as it arrived. Spike noticed the symbol that was burning on Buffy's back also cooled. He quickly stepped over to Angel, helping him with Conquest. Between the two of them they soon overpowered the demon, leaving the room a little darker as another symbol faded.

Faith finally got the upper hand on War, and soon only Death was left standing. All three of them turned to help Daniel, but it was too late. Buffy screamed one last time as the portal flared to life and Azeroth stepped through. The fire that brightened the room died. The fighting came to a standstill. Nothing moved as Azeroth surveyed the sight before him.

"Father," Death reached out as Daniel savagely ripped off her head. Azeroth took one step back. The paralyzing fear was slowly leaving the room. The demons were running for their lives now, the Scoobies letting them as they focused on the bigger threat. Slayer and vampires were slowly moving toward the demon, knowing he was going to teleport away before they could stop him. Nobody saw Buffy get to her feet behind him.

"Hello Lover," she mocked when he finally saw her. He quickly moved, but it wasn't fast enough. She threw herself at him so when he teleported away so did she. The others were a split second behind her, but it was enough for Azeroth to get away.

"Now what?" Faith asked, looking at the carnage for the first time. Demon corpses were piled up everywhere. Thankfully all the Scoobies were mobile, though there were definitely some injuries that needed medical attention. Surprisingly Angel's group were coming through the doorway, obviously fighting the demons out front. Angel looked up at them curiously.

"When the demons stopped fighting and were just running we realized the warehouse was not where we needed to be," Wesley told them. "Besides, a pack of werewolves is a very intimidating thing."

"Is everyone okay?" Joyce asked, hugging Dawn carefully. No one came out of this unscathed, but everyone was still alive and walking. She looked her daughter over carefully before letting her pull away.

"Damn," Gunn said, looking at the piles of dead demons. "You guys really take apocalypses seriously."

"What happened?" Kate asked, brandishing her own battle axe like a pro.

"The Horsemen are dead," Angel said, "but they were able to bring Azeroth through before they were killed. He escaped."

"No," Daniel countered. "He didn't escape. He teleported but Buffy jumped in. He is weak and she is full of rage. She'll kill him."

"I thought only family members could kill him?" Wesley wondered out loud. Daniel nodded.

"She is family."

"I'll explain later," Angel told him before turning to Daniel. "Can you sense her?" Daniel nodded.

"We completed the ritual. I willingly gave her my strength. We are connected." He got a faraway look in his eyes. "Azeroth is dead," he exclaimed before falling down.

"Daniel!" Faith called out as she reached him first. She helped him up, letting him lean on her until he found his feet.

"What happened?" Joyce asked, barely keeping the panic out of her voice. "Where's Buffy?"

"I don't know," he told her, looking her in the eye. "She defeated Azeroth then the connection broke. I don't know why."

"It doesn't mean anything," Giles told her. "We knew Azeroth would teleport as soon as he got here. Buffy needed Daniel's strength to finish him. Buffy initiated the connection so she could break it whenever she wanted. Most likely she killed Azeroth and then broke the connection so she wouldn't drain Daniel's strength." Joyce nodded. That sounded like something her daughter would do.

"So what do we do now?" she asked.

"Now we live," he told her. "Buffy is strong. She'll survive. And she'll find her way home. She always does." Joyce nodded, gathering up Dawn in her arms as they made their way back outside.

"You ever think of a career as a Watcher Blue?" Faith asked as Kate stepped up to help her with Daniel.

"Not until just now," Kate said, thinking about the possibilities. "You think they would have me?"

"If they don't I will," Faith said as the women threw Daniel's arms around their shoulders. They started to follow the group outside. "So Daniel, when where you going to tell me you were B's son?" Daniel faltered and would have fallen if Faith and Kate weren't holding him upright.

"What?" Wesley asked, so distracted that he tripped over a corpse and landed in a pile of demonic body parts. "Disgusting," he said as Angel helped him up. Daniel was grinning in spite of the battle and Faith was shamelessly flirting with him. Joyce stopped at the doorway, taking one last behind her to the spot where she had last seen her daughter.

"She'll be back Mom," Dawn said next to her. "This is her home." Joyce nodded as they caught up with the group on their well-known trek to the hospital. She would make sure her family was alright, then she would wait for her daughter to find her way back home. Wait and worry. It was what moms did best.

The End.

AN: So ends the next chapter in my vision. I hope you enjoyed reading. As I said before, this was the original idea I had. The first in the series was just setup and filler, though I think it was just as good as this one. I have a few more story ideas to continue this alternate version if anybody's interested in this series continuing. Please let me know your thoughts and thanks to everyone who reviews. Until next time.


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